ISLAMABAD – Various political leaders questioned the fund-raising by former President Pervez Musharraf in the name of flood victims and alleged the retired general had failed to disburse the amount transparently among the calamity-hit people.
In September 2010, former president Pervez Musharf raised Rs 250 million during a four-hour live telethon on a private TV channel to raise funds for the flood victims from the platform of Musharraf Foundation.
The All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) leaders at that time had also claimed that Musharraf would go for another telethon on a leading American TV channel, CNN, along with former US foreign minister Hennery Kissinger, Hollywood film star and United Nation Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie but their claims proved false.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Naib Ameer Liaqat Baloch said Musharraf was a liar and the money collected by him would be embezzled by his cronies. “No relief work has been initiated by his party in any part of the country,” he added. He further said the people of the country abhorred Musharraf to that extent that they would refuse to take relief from him.
Expressing serious concern over the fate of donations collected by the former president, PML-N central leader Senator Pervez Rashid said he had not seen distribution of that money among the flood affectees. “Pervez Musharraf has no credibility and it is evident from the fact that the foreign countries refused to help Pakistan after the recent floods as they had serious reservations over the utilisation of the foreign aid provided to the country for the 2005 earthquake victims during Musharraf’s regime,” he added.
Talking to Pakistan Today a few days back in the parliament, PML-Q Punjab chapter President Ch Pervaiz Elahi also raised question over the money raised by former President Pervez Musharraf in the name of flood victims but avoided leveling any allegation in this regard.
Senator Khalid Soomro of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam said that he had visited 10 affected districts of Sindh but he had not seen any activity for flood victims from the platform of Musharraf’s party.
Arshad Khan Laghari MNA of PML-N, whose constituency in Rahimyar Khan, was badly hit by the floods, said that he had seen no relief work from the platform of the APML in his district. When contacted,
Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said the relief work from the platform of the APML was in full swing. “The construction of homes for the flood affectees in Charsada and Muzaffargarh will start shortly,” he said adding a committee comprising Hhaji Sher Alam Khattak, Rai Abid Amin and Dr Amjad was coordinating the relief work.
Rai Abid Amin said their opponents were criticising Musharraf Foundation, “but we do not conduct relief operations for publicity and avoid inviting the media to cover the activities.
” He added the APML had distributed 4,000 food packages worth Rs 10 million among flood affectees in the country and would soon construct modern villages in the flood-hit areas. Each village would comprise 100 homes, he stated. He said the account of Pervez Musharraf Foundation had been opened in Pakistan while Dr Amjad, Rashid Qureshi and Barrister Saif would jointly run the account.
Musharraf Foundation’s fund-raising questioned
