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| India-Pakistan |
| Minister's crony runs abroad with billions, PM told |
| 2008-08-18 |
| Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has been informed, in an inquiry report forwarded to him by the PM Inspection Commission, that a blue-eyed officer of former minister Zobaida Jalal has fled to Malaysia and has launched a business with the money he pocketed from the funds meant for the children of Balochistan. Zobaida Jalal may face the shocking allegations of quietly helping a top officer of her former Education and then Social Welfare Ministry -- Irfanullah Khan -- to secretly launch his commercial business in Malaysia from the embezzled funds of billions of rupees of taxpayers' money. The accused officer, after faking an ex-Pakistan leave from the Staff Welfare Organization Establishment, fled the country after Ms Zobaida Jalal fell from power on November 15, 2007. He knew that she was no more in a position to protect him in the new set-up after the elections in the country. The absconding officer feared that after enjoying five years of full freedom to plunder and loot the resources meant for the children of Balochistan, this was the time to say goodbye to Pakistan and monitor his own business in Malaysia and wait for some ìgolden timesî to return and resume his lootings. This correspondent is regularly trying to get the version of Zobaida Jalal for the last many days but she is not available. Despite the recent publication of two stories in The News and Jang on the same issue, she did not come forward to give her side of the story. The mysterious silence being maintained by Zobaida Jalal has raised more doubts about her direct involvement in the embezzlement of the funds as charged by the PM Inspection Commission and fully backed by the auditor general of Pakistan in its report on the same subject. Meanwhile, Yousuf Raza Gilani has now been informed in an inquiry report forwarded to him by the PM Inspection Commission that Irfanullah Khan had fled to Malaysia, where he has his own business. Many corrupt officers in Pakistan may feel envy on the fact how an ordinary employee, who had started a job of monitoring the non-formal basic education schools in Balochistan launched by the Benazir Bhutto government in 1995, is today running a multi-million rupee business in Malaysia. The shocking inquiry report into the alleged irregularities of Zobaida Jalal and his handpicked officer has already been presented to the PM, who is yet to take any action in the light of the recommendations of the commission The inquiry report, available with The News, clearly explains that Irfanullah Khan was boldly operating in two ministries: education and social welfare, where Zobaida Jalal was operating as the minister. The report says he had the full cooperation and protection of Jalal who never allowed anyone to try to question his activities. The report says Irfanullah Khan had enjoyed the "political patronage" of Ms Jalal and a woman senator from Balochistan. The projects that he headed were under the same federal minister in two different ministries. He was also able to circumvent the senior bureaucracy through his easy access to the minister and his other political benefactors. Earlier, the auditor general of Pakistan had also directly accused Zobaida Jalal of spending Rs 1.2 million from an education project for the children of Balochistan in the name of renovating her residence and office. She had spent money on carpets and luxurious bathrooms. The audit report into the irregularities of the Tawana Pakistan Project had revealed that a total of Rs 40 million from the education project were embezzled in one way or the other. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 It's not for the children... |
| Posted by: Irfanullah Khan 2008-08-18 09:54 |