- Demands judicial commission to probe the case
The leaders of mainstream political parties on Monday said any legislation or bill meant to clip the powers or reduce the tenure of Bank of Khyber (BoK) managing director (MD) would be strongly opposed in the Khyber Pakthunkhwa (KP) Assembly.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Parliamentary Leader in KP Assembly Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha said that the provincial government’s inquiry to probe BoK mega scam is not acceptable to the opposition parties and demanded a judicial inquiry to investigate this important issue.
On April 16, the BoK management accused Provincial Finance Minister Muzaffar Said for interference in bank affairs, forcing the bank management to appoint his relatives, acquaintances and using bank funds for political meeting and issued an advertisement in newspapers against the minister. Chief Minister Pervez Khattak took notice of the advertisement and ordered an inquiry to probe the scam after the minister rejected the charges.
“I assure you that nobody would believe the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s inquiry as serious allegations were leveled against a sitting provincial minister,” he said, adding that inquiry through an independent judicial commission or under Peshawar High Court’s chief justice would be accepted to people in this high profile case.
Nalota said that any bill meant to cut the powers or reduce the tenure of BoK MD in KP Assembly would be strongly opposed and that nobody would be allowed to weaken the BoK being a national entity.
The PML-N leader said BoK is a national monetary asset generating millions of rupees revenue for the national kitty, adding that this national entity would produce excellent results on sustainable basis only with strong and powerful management free from political pressure.
Nalota said thousands of people and their families are associated with BoK and weakening this monetary organisation for political interest would be tantamount to snatching employment from the employees appointed on merit.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former senior minister Rahimdad Khan said making the BoK’s inquiry report non-public has created doubts and suspicions, adding that unnecessary delay in release of the report shows the non-serious attitude of PTI leaders in resolution of this important case.
“BoK inquiry is a test case for PTI government,” he maintained. “Making the BoK inquiry report non-public despite repeated assurances by the KP chief minister and senior ministers is beyond my understanding,” he said.
Rahimdad said a high level inquiry under an independent judicial commission should be initiated to probe this important case. He said only an independent judicial commission can provide an opportunity to the sitting minister to clear himself from the serious allegations and the BoK MD to prove his allegations.