LAHORE: LHCchief justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry on Friday ordered the director general of the NAB, Punjab, to hold a thorough probe into the allegations of selling embassies land in Japan and Indonesia in 2002 by the then ambassadors of Pakistan at throwaway prices and file references in two months (if allegations are proved) in the accountability court.
The court passed the order while disposing of a writ petition filed by Dr Qaisar Rashi through his counsel Sajjid Ashraf.
The petition challenged the sale of high cost embassies land in the countries allegedly on the directions of the then chief executive, General Pervez Musharraf, who shared kickbacks with the then ambassadors in sale deal.
The petitioner said the then ambassador to Indonesia, Major Gen (retd) Mustafa Anwar Hussain, had misused his authority as an envoy to sell the building of the embassy of Pakistan and residence of ambassador on February 18 2002, for kickbacks in the deal. Referring to a report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published in a local newspaper, the petitioner said the sold property was gifted by Indonesian president Soekarno to Pakistan but it was sold under a directive issued by General Musharraf in 2000.
He said the ministry had opposed the sale but the ambassador in connivance with Musharraf had sold the land. The deal was concluded by a company belonging to the ambassador’s Indonesian wife, he said. It was purchased by Indonesian company ERA Victoria for 2.28 million dollars and later inter-ministerial committee (of Pakistan) approved the sale deal on September 18, 2002, he added.
Similarly, the property of embassy of Pakistan in Japan, including the embassy building and residence of ambassador, was sold through the then secretary of embassy of Pakistan in Tokyo, Asghar Ali Golo, now director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the petitioner said. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) of Japan valued the Moto Azabu area as one of the highest per square metre price land in Tokyo.
