Broadsheet saga: PPP says fair probe impossible under Azmat Saeed

The Pakistan Peoples Party has rejected the Broadsheet inquiry commission announced by the government, saying a fair probe is impossible under the supervision of Justice (retired) Azmat Saeed.

UK-based firm Broadsheet LLC was hired in 2000 by General Pervez Musharraf’s government to recover assets stolen by the past Pakistani governments.

The contract expired in 2003 and the firm alleged it was not paid. It sued Pakistan in the London Court of International Arbitration in 2016 and won an award of $21 million in 2019. Islamabad appealed the decision in the London High Court and the award was increased to $33 million.

British authorities recently seized $28.7 million from the Pakistan High Commission’s account and the rest remains payable.

Last week, the government appointed ex-judge Azmat Saeed the head of the one-member inquiry commission to investigate the Broadsheet issue.

"We reject the one-man commission, Justice Azmat Saeed cannot head it," PPP MNA Shazia Marri said at a press conference alongside Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla.

"We condemn this decision of the government and reject it," she added.

Mandviwalla once again lashed out at the National Accountability Bureau.

"Never asked the NAB chairman not to deal with corruption," he said. "[I] always criticise on the basis of what happened in the past."

The Senate deputy chairman said that not amending the NAB rules was a mistake of the PPP and PML-N governments.

Marri further accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of doing politics on the foreign funding case against it. "[We] know how many mafias have been running the prime minister's household," she said.

The decision to bring a no-confidence motion against the premier will be made after consultation at the Pakistan Democratic Movement forum, she added.