Benazir’s govt vindicated by Pakistani’s arrest in United States: Babar

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party on Sunday claimed that the investigations into while-collar crimes, initiated by their government in the nineties, had been vindicated by the arrest a former Pakistani army captain Khalid Shaheen Butt in New York.

A statement issued by the PPP’s media cell quoted former interior minister Naseerullah Babar who said, “I wish to refresh the public’s memory by reminding that it was the PPP government which had first investigated Mr Butt for several white collar crimes.”

Federal authorities in New York on Friday arrested Mr Butt on charges of running an underground money laundering operation which helped people in the narcotics business, he said.

“The PPP government had incontrovertible evidence of Mr Butt’s involvement in drugs and money laundering.

On the basis of this evidence the interior ministry had asked the US government for his extradition. A dossier on his illegal activities was handed over to the then US ambassador in support of the government’s request for his extradition,” Mr Babar said.

He said Mr Butt somehow escaped prosecution and conviction in the US at the time as a result of which the case of his extradition to Pakistan remained pending.

“Mr Butt’s arrest in the wake of post 9/11 heightened investigations into money laundering related to narcotics trafficking and possible links to terror has vindicated the investigations of the PPP government,” Mr Babar claimed.

He said the purpose of the statement was to emphasise that it was the PPP government which had initiated an organised fight against white-collar crimes.

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