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Farooqui challenges law minister’s version

* Secretary general to president says Sindhu released list containing false allegations

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Secretary General to the President Salman Farooqui on Sunday took exception to the allegations levelled against him in the list of NRO beneficiaries made public on Saturday by the minister of state for law, and urged the minister to take steps to undo the damage done to “innocent victims” like him.

Farooqui said he was falsely implicated in the textile quota case long after the original FIR was filed in 1997 against others, only to politically victimise him. He said that he was not accused of forgery or fraud or illegal allotment of textile quota even at that time. “I offer to appear before any competent forum to substantiate my statement,” Farooqui said.

Allegations: “It is a matter of deep concern and regret that Mr [Afzal] Sindhu did not find time to go through the record of the case and released to the media an unsubstantiated list containing false allegations that were not levelled even at the time,” he said.

Farooqui said he was dismissed from service on the basis of the same concocted material, but the Supreme Court of Pakistan, then also headed by Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, declared his dismissal “against law and principles of natural justice”.

He said the Supreme Court had even rejected the revision application, which he said the government had filed to delay his reinstatement, and, as a result, the government had no choice but to reinstate him.

Concerning the mention of his name relating to the award of monopoly licence to ARY Gold in 1994 for the import of gold, Farooqui said he was not included in the list of accused, but was included in a supplementary reference that was filed much later.

He said he had nothing to do with the said licence, as he was made the commerce secretary much later, towards the end of 1995.

He said the charges and allegations should have been reviewed carefully before filing and publishing “concocted cases”.

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