The din of memogate had not yet subsided when another scandal – Bahriagate, has emerged on the scene. Allegedly, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s son, Arsalan Iftikhar, was paid hefty sums by real estate tycoon, Malik Riaz, to curry favours with the Supreme Court. The chief justice has set a precedent by summoning his son to the court to explain his position. Malik Riaz, however, has slipped away to London where all wanted by law take refuge. Malik has chosen Zahid Bokhari as his counsel. I wish he had hired Aitzaz Ahsan for the job because Aitzaz does it better. He plays his cards so deftly that his client neither wins nor loses outright but remains controversial at best. PM Gilani is both a convict and prime minister. However, Malik Riaz has been equally popular with Shaheed BB, Nawaz Sharif, and Gen Musharraf – all three each other’s nemesis. From real estate tycoon he has progressed to real estate typhoon.
Now comes the tricky part. Chief Justice Chaudhry has asked for the record of payments allegedly made to his son; otherwise, Bahria Town offices might be sealed. Would scrutiny of records mean the Bahria Town bubble whose various divisions are headed by retired commodores and generals is about to bust? Will it once again prove that behind big money is always crime?
DR A P SANGDIL
Oslo, Norway