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Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK Wajid Shamsul Hasan has said an unnecessary and uncalled for controversy has been whipped up by a section of the Pakistani print and electronic media over the transfer of 12 boxes containing documents from Geneva to London officially. In his clarification Thursday, Mr.Hasan said he was designated by the Pakistan Foreign Office to accompany the NAB Prosecutor General to Geneva from London. A simple officially authorised transfer has been presented as a “mysterious”, “sneaking operation” conducted by senior government functionaries officially assigned. Some of the questions that have been raised are based on lack of information and quixotic notions of defaming and undermining the democratic government by that section of the media that is pursuing its own agenda of destabilising the government.
The High Commissioner said he did accompany the NAB Prosecutor General Dr Danishwar Malik to Geneva on the instructions of Pakistan Foreign Office to be present with him when he takes over 12 boxes from the NAB’s lawyer in Geneva. The Chairman NAB was in the know that he was assigned officially to go to Geneva. Mr.Hasan pointed out that he just acted as a witness to the handing over of the boxes to Dr Danishwar Malik at the office of the Swiss lawyer and not Swiss court or the Swiss Prosecutor General as reported in a section of Pakistani media.
ô The boxes were handed them over by Dr Danishwar in my presence to Mr Aftab A. Khokher, Deputy Permanent Representative, for
transportation to the office of Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, for putting them in sealed diplomatic bags to be sent to Pakistan High Commission, London.
He regretted that a section of the Pakistani media tried to scandalise the issue for reasons best known to it by describing an entirely legal transfer as a cloak n dagger mystery. It seemed to be part of an orchestrated smear campaign carried on by
a particular section of print and electronic media that is being accused of pursuing an agenda to destabilise the democratic
government. The High Commissioner said he found it grossly unethical, unprofessional and immoral that without making inquiries from the Pakistan Foreign Office certain scandalous insinuations were targeted at him.
Regarding reasons behind the transfer of boxes, Mr.Hasan said this could also be best answered by the NAB Chairman.
He also pointed out that Pakistan High Commission in London ever since political vendetta was launched against martyred Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Mr Asif Zardari starting November 1996 by ex President Farooq Leghari and followed by National Accountability Cell under ex Senator Saifur Rehman and then by General Pervez Musharraf’s NAB, had become the focal point for NABÆs foreign operations.
He also said to date (from 1999 to 2008) foreign lawyers including those playing the role of go between, have been paid by NAB through Pakistan High Commission London more than Rs. 66.6 crores in fee and other expenses. It was, therefore, logical to involve Pakistan High Commission in the final transfer of documents for safe custody. The High Commissioner said these 12 boxes are in the safe custody of the Government of Pakistan in London and waiting for further instructions.
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