PM’s ex-media adviser sentenced to three years

Posted on January 27, 2012

RAWALPINDI (INP): An Accountability Court on Thursday handed over three-year term to former media coordinator of the Prime Minister, Khurram Rassol, in Rs630 million bank fraud case. A special Judge of the AC sentenced him after he failed to appear before it continuously. Early in the day, a Banking Court in Lahore, granted Khurram Rasool, an interim protective bail, ordering FIA not to arrest him till February 2. While on Thursday, the Lahore High Court had rejected his plea seeking bail before arrest. Rasool, former media coordinator to the prime minister on Northern Pakistan Television, appeared before a two-member divisional bench comprising Justice Najmul Hassan and Justice Mehmood Bajwa. He requested the bench to accept his plea for protective bail for a day, so that he could get a space to clarify certain things regarding alleged fraud case. But the bench observed that protective bail could not be granted to Rasool without obtaining the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) stance on the issue. It is interesting that legal intricacies have been simultaneously created by Khurram Rasool at various legal forums with an apparent move to scuttle proceedings at the Supreme Court which is set to take up his fraud issue on Friday.

                                                                                              What a mockery?

This refers to the news flashed by Frontier Post which captioned, ‘PM’s ex-media adviser sentenced to three years’. Khurram Rasool, former media advisor to PM has been accused of swindling Rs 630 million in bank fraud case which is too large money as compared to just three years jail. Needless to mention, very often it is read in newspapers that people are sentenced to much more than three years in jail for theft of just few thousand rupees only so how can this three years imprisonment be justified. Moreover, it is very strongly believed that Khuarram will contest it and who knows may be in appeal he wins to be either set free or at least the term of three years is considerably slashed down and if so then where lies the deterrence, may I ask? It is really very sad that in Pakistan an ordinary commoner gets maximum punishment though at times it is paucity of funds and or his peculiar circumstances that drive the person to commit a crime but on the other hand all of us who are not only well to do but also well connected plunder in seven digits or more but are either not apprehended or given mocking punishment like what is being noticed here in case of Khurram Rasool. If I am not mistaken, such type of punishment may incite others to do alike and be behind the bars just for few months but enjoy the rest of the life like an inborn emperor. What a mockery, who can differ with me?

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