Haji Fazal Kadir Khan Sherani, President, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry and its Vice President Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed Dhingra have urged the Chairman of National Accountability Bureau NAB), Admiral Fasih Bukhari to stop harassment and keep the recovery notices, issued to 1024 traders/consumer dealers of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), in abeyance and in the meantime hold a meeting with the representatives of Pakistan Steel Re-Rolling Mills Association to resolve the issue amicably.
They argued, “These notices are based on the false assumptions as the record available with the dealers clearly proves that all the purchases have been made as per the listed prices of PSM products and the dealers have no control over the prices of the PSM products.
However, they lamented that the NAB is punishing them without any solid evidence and serving them with notices”.
FPCCI Chief Haji Fazal Kadir Khan Sherani added that it was not logically possible for 1024 consumer dealers and traders to act in connivance with the officials of PSM to secure wrongful gains on account of purchases of PSM products. He disclosed that the real culprits have absconded from the country and now the PSM is trying to rope in innocent parties that made purchases as per their routine at the prices offered by PSM.
The President of FPCCI castigated for issuance of the recovery notices on the basis of faulty forensic reports, which had already been rejected by FIA, PSM and the Ministry of Industries & Production. He informed that the traders and consumer dealers served with recovery notices had also been issued clearance certificates by PSM.
Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed Dhingra, Vice President informed that the allegations leveled against PSM traders and consumer dealers are totally incorrect and falsified by the fact that they got less supply during the alleged period as compared to the periods before, because had there been any collusion, these people would have been allocated more material by the PSM.
Moreover, he continued that the responsibility of corruption and mismanagement fall entirely on the shoulders of PSM management, however, it seemed that the traders and consumer dealers are being made scapegoat.
FPCCI urges NAB to halt action on notices to 1024 PSM dealers
