Pakistan News And Discussion-14

[Naresh]

[center]<b><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Shaukat Aziz in the dock</span></b>[/center]

<b>LAHORE : Disgraced former Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz who was denied a PML-Q ticket by the party leadership, has now sunk in a deep morass and has been accused of misuse of official power and criminal mismanagement. Highly placed official sources have confided with The Frontier Post that the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills and certain aspects of Habib Bank were under scrutiny that could land Shaukat Aziz in deep trouble.</b> The government at one point considered to place the name of Shaukat Aziz on the exit control list, but certain high level quarter decided to keep the matter pending and a decision on the issue may be taken at some later stage.

The Pakistani Prime Minister was lambasted by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in her book “Twice as Good” where she made cutting remarks about shaukat Aziz for his ungentlemanly behavior putting the entire Pakistani nation to shame. It was Shaukat Aziz who subverted all the good work undertaken by President Musharraf by advising him through a reference against former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry that triggered social unrest in the country and wide protest demonstrations were held everywhere. Preliminary investigation into various allegations against Shaukat Aziz continues, but insiders believe that there was enough evidence to indict the former Prime Minister on these charges.

<b>Sources also told The Frontier Post that Shaukat Aziz could face charges regarding misuse of discretionary and secret funds that were at his disposal and amounted to plunder of the country’s wealth.</b> A powerful lobby in the PML(Q) was pushing hard for action against Shaukat Aziz with some of them willing to testify against their former boss. <b>After incriminating evidence against Shaukat Aziz, the president was forced to abandon his erstwhile political ally at the last minute and the name of the former Prime Minister was dropped at the eleventh hour from the list of PML(Q) candidates for the National Assembly.</b>

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