Pakistan’s thieving elites named and shamed

By Zafar Bangash
[Crescent International, June 16-30, 2000.]

It may sound strange to talk about billionaires in the bankrupt republic of Pakistan but in fact there are a good many. No, they are not rupee billionaires; they actually have billions of US dollars in bank accounts abroad, mostly in Switzerland, the UK, France, Canada and the US.

This startling news was revealed last month by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), headed by general Amjad Husain Syed. The general said that NAB intends to pursue the matter with foreign governments. That may be a forlorn quest; foreign governments are not in the business of returning stolen loot. America itself is the biggest offender. It is not only sitting on billions of Iran’s money stolen by the Shah and his family, but the people of the Philippines have also seen little of the Marcos’ billions. Why should it be any different for people like Asif Ali Zardari, husband of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, or Nawaz Sharif, another deposed prime minister?

Freelance investigators specialising in such matter would be a better bet, but these firms charge hefty fees and little may be left to bring home. Pakistan needs every penny it can get. The desperate attempt by interior minister Moinuddin Haider to squeeze some money out of overseas Pakistanis through the Pakistan Origin Card (POC) scheme has fallen flat on its face. It was a half-baked idea that completely misread the public mood, especially in Britain.

The pursuit of the billionaires is a better option. The names of some people on the Pakistani billionaires’ list is surprising. The list released by NAB runs like who’s who of the Pakistani elite. It sheds some light on Pakistan’s murky politics, but also raises questions. It is immediately apparent that the billionaires’ list includes politicians as well as military personnel. Names such as Asif Zardari, Nawaz Sharif and Anwar Saifullah raise few eyebrows, but who is captain Naseer? And how did Humayun Akhtar Khan and Ijazul Haq–both sons of former generals –become billionaires? What about general Mirza Aslam Beg, Aftab Sherpao, Salman Farooqi and Ahmed Sadiq (the last two were bureaucrats)?

Let us take the case of the late general Fazl-e Haq. He was governor of the Frontier province throughout general Zia’s rule. It was widely speculated that he was involved in heroin smuggling. He was also notoriously foul-mouthed and few dared to cross his path. He was gunned down in 1990, almost certainly to avenge the killing of Maulana Arif Hussaini, whose supporters accused the general of complicity in his murder. But the people of the Frontier remember Fazl-e Haq for the massive infrastructure works he oversaw throughout the province. His stern ways did at least get results.

Humayun Akhtar’s billions almost certainly came from his father, general Akhtar Abdur Rahman, who reportedly pilfered billions of dollars from the Afghan fund when he was director of ISI under Zia ul-Haq. Zia’s supporters, especially in the Jama’at-e Islami, always referred to Abdul Rahman as a pious general on a crusade of Islamization. Unfortunately, this Islamizing general had his snout in the trough. One can now realise why the Afghan "Jihad" was so popular in the military.

The Chaudhries of Gujrat are another product of the Zia regime. The general arranged loans of billions of dollars to them to build them up against the People’s Party (PPP). Although Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was regarded as a brilliant politician, it was general Zia who was the Machiavelli of Pakistani politics.

The fact that a number of bureaucrats — Salman Farooqi, Ahmed Sadiq et al — also became billionaires reflects the corruption that pervades every aspect of Pakistani life. Ahmed Sadiq was Benazir Bhutto’s principal secretary.

Whenever the question of accountability of members of the armed forces has been raised, NAB officials have taken refuge behind the excuse that the military has internal processes of accountability. Clearly, they did not work in the case of Aslam Beg. The others may have acquired their wealth after leaving service, although not generals Fazl-e Haq, Zahid Ali Akbar and brigadier Imtiaz.

Perhaps the NAB chief, general Amjad, could pull rank on some of the billionaires and demand that they return the loot. Captain (retired) Gohar Ayub, captain (retired) Naseer and major (retired) Aftab Sherpao are in the billionaires league and a serving general should be able to use his authority to order them to cough up. This may not be conventional, but so much else is being done in unconventional ways that it would hardly matter. The opportunity is there for Amjad to become an instant hero.

Gohar Ayub, minister of power in Nawaz Sharif’s government, created quite a stir when he published the list of those who had not paid their electricity and water bills. The list included all the leading lights of Nawaz Sharif’s Muslim League, including the Chaudhries of Gujrat. This indicates the mentality of the mighty and powerful in Pakistan, who amass their fortunes through a sheer disregard for both the laws of the land and any moral considerations. Accumulating debts which no-one can force them to repay is among their favourite ploys. They take pride in stealing.

What may amaze many people is that there are as many people with military connections on the billionaires’ list as there are civilian politicians. The rot of corruption has permeated every facet of society in Pakistan. Neither the emperor nor anyone in his entourage has any clothes; few even have fig-leaves.

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