'Loot sale, mega corruption scandals of Musharraf's government': PML-N launches 90-page report

As per instructions of Nawaz Sharif, a 90-page report, titled 'Loot sale, mega corruption scandals of General Musharraf's government', was launched here on Saturday, which includes 'scandals' relating to the Pakistan Steel Mills (PS), Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), Habib Bank Limited (HBL), purchase of Chinese locomotives, land grabbing by generals, creation of crises of sugar, oil and cement, and the ongoing judicial crisis.
PML-N additional secretary, information, Punjab, Bilal Butt, Advocate, said that resignation of President Musharraf, formation of a national unity government and restoration of democracy 'are only solutions" to the prevailing crisis in Pakistan.
He said that Friday's submission of the deputy attorney general in the Supreme Court in missing persons' case was a clear indication that the government had revolted against the SC and "created a crisis of unmanageable proportions".
He said that Nawaz has urged the Punjab judiciary to extend support to the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. He condemned threats to CJP's counsel and arrests of political activists.
"This struggle will reach a logical end," he asserted. Bilal said that the prevailing crisis would aggravate if this "corrupt and incompetent" government would be allowed to continue.
Highlighting 'mega scandals' in Pakistan during the last seven years, the PML-N leader said that the Musharraf government was the "most corrupt" in the country's history.
"It (the government) first involved most corrupt political elements with it and then looted the strategic assets of the country like never before in the country's history. And when the Supreme Court checked their corruption in the steel mills case, they unsuccessfully tried to remove him in retaliation," he said.
The current electricity crisis in the country, the report said, the government failed to initiate even a single power generation project during the last seven years.
"This is just beginning of the summer and there is 2,000 megawatt shortage of power. When the summer will reach the peak, the shortage will touch 5,000 megawatt and hurt the already volatile economy," he said. He challenged the government's claim of increasing the national development budget from Rs 100 billion to Rs 405 billion and alleged that military-led government has so far caused Rs 1,280 billion loss to the national exchequer.
It says that since 1999 Musharraf-led government has not only looted Rs 1,280 billion in different corruption cases but also encouraged land mafia of retired and serving military Generals who have illegally occupied thousands of acres across the country.
The report confides that in Steel Mills case the government earned Rs 110 billion as booty. It claims that in Steel Mills privatisation case, from the day first the deal was managed to benefit certain people. The report says different acts of omission and commission were also witnessed in the privatisation process.
The paper also questions the ever-increasing influence of land mafia comprising army people and alleges that they have been taking advantage of their position in the society and by force occupying the lands of the poor people. The report mentions certain cases such as Defence Housing Authorities where civilians were being forced to sell their lands at much lower rates.