Not Axactly

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303

Does not add up

 

Samuel Johnson, literary titan of the 18th century, once famously said: patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

I was reminded of the famous quote while reading allegations against Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh, the beleaguered Chief Executive of Axact, the IT company about to launch by his own claim, “Pakistan’s largest media group BOL”. According to Shaikh, Declan Walsh, the NYT reporter who exposed the multi-million dollar scam, had his own axe to grind. He is bent upon besmirching Pakistan, Shaikh claims.

Mr Walsh was expelled from Pakistan in May 2013, on the eve of the general elections. It happened while I was Caretaker Federal Information Minister. So I know a little bit about it.

I recall quite vividly that Mr Walsh came to see me at my office on May 9, 2013. He informed me that through a letter from the Interior Ministry his visa, valid till January 2104, had been cancelled citing “undesirable activities”, and that he had been asked to leave the country within 72 hours.

On inquiring from the Interior Minister I was plainly told that those who matter in Pakistan had expelled Mr Walsh and the Interior Ministry was just a post office. Nonetheless, despite my best efforts, Walsh was detained at his hotel in Lahore by security officials on Election Day, and was thrown out the next morning.

I was told that Walsh had surreptitiously travelled to Balochistan, which was a no go area even for the foreign journalists based in Islamabad. The NYT bureau chief had filed a story titled “Pakistan’s Secret Dirty War” alleging human rights abuses in Balochistan and the plight of the missing persons. Previously, he had filed a story on Kamra Aeronautical Complex harbouring nuclear missiles. The story turned out to be a canard.

Walsh, although London based, is still bureau chief for Pakistan. Mr Shaikh spuriously claims that Walsh’s story was a foreign conspiracy against Pakistan.

I was told that Walsh had surreptitiously travelled to Balochistan, which was a no go area even for those foreign journalists based in Islamabad

It never pays for the host country to expel journalists except in extreme cases. Journalists are human beings as well who can hold biases. It just might be, as has been termed by some, “the revenge” of Declan Walsh.

But in this case as a professional he has done a thorough job. The story is well researched, documented and multi-sourced. It is not like Seymour Hersh’s unsubstantiated last hurrah about the Pakistani military being complicit with the US Navy SEALs in Abbottabad operation to kill Osama bin Laden in May 2011.

BOL, soon to be launched with much fanfare, is now in doldrums. According to its management test transmission will start in the holy month of Ramzan. That is only few weeks away.

Despite the obvious bravado of its CEO the sheen from yet to be launched multi-million dollar media empire has worn off. The fake degrees scam allegedly perpetrated by its parent company Axact is too widespread and well documented to be swept under the carpet even by Pakistani authorities infamous for stonewalling bigger crimes.

It is a fact that those conned or blackmailed into spending thousands of dollars on fake degrees are not entirely blameless. But that does not exonerate the so-called IT company of its culpability. After all Bernard “Bernie” Madoff, who through his Ponzi scheme perpetrated the largest financial fraud in US history, was robbing mostly rich Jews of their life savings.

BOL offers its journalists and their families from cradle to grave security. It was supposed to be a paradise for its employees. Like their former owners they were also entitled to fat salaries, perks and privileges including owning own luxury cars, in many cases bulletproof.

BOL, for the time being, has delivered on its tall claims. But these fat salary packages simply do not make economic sense. The kind of packages given to some of the famous faces poached from rival media houses exceed even a crore rupees a month.

Shaikh, in some of his speeches available on social media, sounds like a modern day Robin Hood. In one of his erudite addresses he is seen taunting the “selfish corrupt and greedy owners”. In the audience there are most of those who have already joined the media conglomerate, but there are a few known faces still with other channels clapping approvingly.

The most worrisome aspect of the Axact/BOL saga is that the figures simply do not add up (they never did). But the bubble has now burst. Even if the government takes a lenient view of the matter, the Ponzi scheme of selling fake degrees can no longer be sustained on our soil with impunity.

The matter affects thousands of persons all over the world, including American citizens and Indians. International laws have been violated. The forgeries involved go right up to the doors of US State Department.

True, rival media houses are having a field day. And why shouldn’t they? It’s their bread and butter that are at stake.

The most worrisome aspect of the Axact/BOL saga is that the figures simply do not add up (they never did). But the bubble has now burst

Despite some of the media houses having deep pockets, it is simply impossible for them to match the salaries and perks and privileges being offered to their stars and general staff by BOL. As a media person myself who has launched two newspapers and a television station, it simply does not fit in any business model worth the name.

Hence Declan Walsh’s disclosures have only confirmed what media insiders knew for a long time. Some believed that the ubiquitous establishment was behind the launch of BOL to get even with GEO/Jang Group. Even the name of Dawood Ibrahim, the Bombay based don who now, according to some reports, lives in Karachi, was thrown in as the hidden hand bankrolling BOL.

Perhaps initially Walsh’s natural bias against the ISI might have prompted him to dig the Axact/BOL story. But in the end analysis he stumbled onto a trove of illegal activities based on deception and fraud. Unfortunately, those who had expected the pervasive hand of the deep state were sorely disappointed.

In the meanwhile, the fate of BOL hangs in limbo. It’s not known whether the channel will be launched at all. Possibly it will be. But sources of its funding, mainly from its so called IT business, drying up, it will be difficult if not virtually impossible to sustain its profligate business model.

As it is, amongst 80 plus news and current affairs channels those who make any money can be counted on fingertips. Private and government advertisement — their sole source of income — can hardly sustain them.

The rich and famous anchors that were not exactly underpaid even before joining the BOL bandwagon will be mostly welcomed to their previous sinecures. The real axe will fall on the lower and mid level professionals.

17 COMMENTS

  1. Declan Walsh may have his bias, but those running and owning Axact have done this county a lot of damage internationally.

  2. The journalists who left their parent channels that gave them name why should they accept them, in fact no one should repeat the mistake.How on earth any company can pay in millions without having launched the channel. It is strange being senior seasoned well informed invetigative journalist should have asked one question how company can pay so much without work. I am sure they would have got the answer. Any way they have received enough that should see through rest of their life
    Iss tara tu hota hai iss tara kay kamoon main

    • Greed blinded these so called icons of journalism who never walked their talk. Remember some of them could not resist even temptation of a free Umrah paid for a man who robs poor and gifts elite and powerful. Many of them towed line of Altaf Bhai, establishment and agencies, others were available for highest bidder. The only person who has any credibility amongst them is Iftikhar.

    • People like KK are known to have close links with Bombay Mafia Don and Ethnic Mafia Don who lives in London

  3. From day one I have been saying that Declan Walsh has a score to settle with Pakistan. The way this inquiry is being conducted it seems a lot of money has exchanged hands to make sure to close Axact whereas in actual it is stopping BOL from being launched. Bureaucracy is all mighty corrupt, fearless (of Allah) and powerful they can do anything and then get away very easily. They are not from Pakistan after bharti they become Black British rulers and poor people are seen as rayaya (Subjects).

    Feudal hand in gloves with bureaucracy joined in by armed forces actually own Pakistan. People (Subjects) are their to earn for them and their benefits.

  4. He doesnot mention what other business houses do , including the various channels Owners . How they got their money to set up channels be it Express ,Dawn , ARY ,and others . He and Chaudrhy Nasir all try and portray innocense as to how business is done in Pakistan by the majority . Why should not Chaudry Nisar order investigation about their ill gotten wealth . What is he scared of ?

  5. Very few has been affected by Axact scam in Pakistan. They looted US and other countries. They provided the best employment perks and support to 5000 families in Pakistan. So in a sense doing bad they still pay back some at least without looting Pakistan. But the real question is if Pakistan is so much against corruption (so far that seems from the FIA action and Pakistan Media and Public response), why do we have exception for Politicians who looted Pakistan for decades and hardly pay back any. From Sharif family to Zardari's all of them are proven scoundrels and has harmed national interest and national resources directly. Why don't we see any action against them. My arguments must not be taken in a sense that I'm defending Axact scam rather the exception for Political Mafia that bothers me. Justice must be served in a way that plaintiffs/defendants does not feel violated/taken advantage of or victimized.
    – A Pakistani

    • That's because it is these people (Sharifs and Zardaris) who are in charge of the FIA. Chauhdary Nisar would never dare order a raid and investigation of Nawaz Sharif.

  6. it tells a lot about a monumental failure of our country’s (so-called) the’ best’ intelligence agency and the other ones in civilian and non-civilian domain consuming billions of tax payers’ unaccounted for money. The exposure should have shamed the shameless
    who were paid phenomenal unearned wages for joining the media’s failed (ad)venture. However arif sahib is correct that they all will return to their former barons laps. that will make the already incredible media( electronic, mainly) more incredible. we should worry about that as the viewing public shall continue to be cheated through disinformation from overrated anews( like apolitical)channels.

  7. Today's Report from BBC FBI have no interest about fake degrees They don't think it is crime. No one in Pakistan is loyal to its mother land they just wanna defame Pakistan. Shame ON you. You Rapped you own mother.

  8. It does appear to be part of a bigger game. The authorities in Pakistan have been in the know about Axact and its shady business, however it was swept under the carpet for that is the general rule. Declan Walsh simply played into the hands of those who wanted to see Axact/Bol empire crumble, since they foresaw the monster Bol was to become.

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