ISLAMBAD – Despite repeated reminders, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (r) Deedar Hussain Shah has not submitted comments to the Supreme Court of Pakistan on the alleged disqualification of Sharmila Farooqi, adviser to the Sindh chief minister.
A well-placed source said for the past four months, the NAB chairman had “turned a deaf ear” to the SC order to submit comments on Sharmila’s disqualification decided in a plea-bargain case on April 28, 2001. The source alleged that NAB chief was using delaying tactics only to protect Sharmila. The Supreme Court directed the NAB chairman to submit comments regarding Sharmila’s disqualification within two weeks after hearing a human rights petition filed by one Aslam Siddiqui.
However, the NAB chairman failed to comply with SC orders. On October 12, 2010, SC’s Human Rights Cell director again issued a reminder, which the Deedar again failed to comply with. The director finally put the NAB chairman on notice to comply with court orders on or before January, 2011. Documents reveal that on April 12, 2000, Accountability Court No IV Karachi convicted Sharmila and her mother Anisa Farooqi and father Usman Farooqui on corruption charges.
They were sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment each. Later, the convicts filed an appeal before the Sindh High Court, which remanded their case for a re-trial on technical grounds. During the course of the re-trial, the convicts entered a plea bargain with NAB in order to avoid further conviction. Their plea-bargaining was accepted by the then chairman NAB and later approved by the Accountability Court No IV Karachi.
The accountability court in its judgment on April 28, 2001, declared Sharmila Farooqui, Anisa and Usman disqualified to be elected, appointed or nominated to hold any public office for 21 years. Notwithstanding her conviction, plea-bargaining and disqualification, Sharmila was appointed adviser to the Sindh chief minister, to enjoy not only perks and privileges of a public servant but also an extraordinary political clout.
NAB chief defying SC’s orders on Sharmila
