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Archive for category Nawaz Sharif Dangerous Man

Mother of all scams

2014-10-05

18:11:50

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Mother of all scams

 
The Sharif brothers and their closest confidante Khawaja Mohd Asif are all set to squander away an astronomical sum of 3 Billion Us Dollars.which will put to shame all scammers in the past such as Mr 10 Percent and his cronies…All other scandals such as Swiss accounts OGRA Hajj Ephedrine scams will be dwarfed if the script is executed.
 
The series of China visits by Sharif Brothers and their children, Khawaja Asif and a Lahore based tycoon ,are nothing but part of the grand design of the mega of the mega scams…
 
The Sharif brothers have struck deal with Some Chinese coal power companies to inflate the officially notified tariff and capital cost of power projects by a whopping 3 Billion dollars to accommodate their kick backs. The 6600 MW Gaddani coal power park and planned 6600 MW coal power projects are the crux of the deal combining into a total of 13200 MW. The main architect of the scam is Khawaja Mohd Asif who interestingly had challenged the rental power plants in Supreme court and a favorite of former CJP Mr Iftikhar Chaudhry.
 
He is actively assisted in this wheeling dealing by Salman Shehbaz younger son of Punjab CM and active participant in bilateral govt dialogues between Govt of Pakistan and China despite the fact that he does not hold any public office.
 
Sharif brothers who have a penchant for flouting rules or bending them to pave way for their grandiose corruption have established a nexus with Acting Secretary Water and Power Mr Saifulla Chattha ,Ms Nargis Sethi CEO of Gaddani Power Park on one hand and looking after all important Economic Affairs Division. This division is responsible for approval of all financing agreements with Chinese companies and export credit agencies such as EXIM Bank, China Development Bank etc .
 
 Mr Fawad Hasan Addl Secretary is lead person on behalf of PM Sectt
for whiplashing non compliant officials. The final actor in the script is Kh Mohd Naeem present acting 
 
Chairman NEPRA and a brother in law of Khawaja Mohd Asif and father of PML N woman MNA Shaza Fatima.
 
THE PLAN
The plan of this scam has NEPRA as the main instrument. Since it is power sector regulator therefore it has its mandate to determine power tariff, key benchmarks such as capital cost of power projects, plant efficiency, issuance of tariff and other critical standards which have key influence on level of consumer prices and consequently corrupt practices. The equation of corruption has two critical variables namely Capital cost and consequently Tariff. Higher the capital cost the more the consumer has to pay over the term of agreement.(as simple as that…these Sharif Brothers and Khawaja will claim that it is still cheaper than Oil based costs BUT the fact remains that it is much more expensive than it should be)
 
The key to Sharif brothers plan is in capital cost of coal power projects. And the citizens of Pakistan will bear the brunt of this corruption in coming years.
 
The road to achieve this has been paved by Khawaja Mohd Asif who has moved a summary to NEPRA through his secretary Water and Power to reopen the upfront TARIFF already determined by NEPRA in JUNE 2013after a very lengthy process of consultation with stake holders and public hearings and formally notified in Sept 2013.Any one including Ministry of Water and Power could have represented against determination of NEPRA within fifteen days, which have long expired. The Secretary has asked NEPRA to condone the 15 day period by relaxing Section 31 of NEPRA Act. NEPRA instead of out rightly rejecting this illegal demand has fixed the case for public hearing.
 
The already notified NEPRA tariff and capital cost are very generous and already 25% above the internationally available data on capital cost. This NEPRA claims was done to attract investors for a period of 6 years ending 2019.In fact foul play was also done in Sept 2013 when capital costs for a 600 MW coal power plant were increased from 585 million dollars to 1.25 billion US Dollars. The tariffs notified in Sept 2013 for plants based on imported coal were……..cents per unit.
 
Now in collusion with Chinese companies the Sharif brothers cleverly playing Energy and China cards are clamoring to get these costs heavily increased and rules set aside to skim off 3 billion dollars over and above NEPRA determined price and 6 billion dollars over and above international bench marks.
 
The Ministry of Water and Power are hell bent to accomplish following goals
 
• To increase the capital cost by another 29% from 1.25 Million Dollars per Mega Watt to 1.5 to 1.7 Million Dollars per Mega Watt for 600 and 200 MW plants respectively.
 
• To increase tariff from the notified tariff by 41% to 65 paisa per unit for 600 MW plant and 40 % to 60 paisa per unit.
 
• To reduce plant efficiency factor for 600 and 1000 MW plants from approved 42% to 39 %
 
• To change PPRA rules to exempt Chinese companies from Procurement procedures and competition
 
• To Delete two (660×2) coal power projects At Gaddani from the Govt execution list and also hand them to private sector on the pretext of shortage of govt funds. In reality the reason is that if these projects are implemented by govt then it will have to follow PPRA Rules and announce competitive bidding which will expose real costs of these projects.
 
INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLES of COSTS
 
In January 2014, South Korea’s state utility KOSEP executed an agreement with an Indian company Jinbhuvish Power Generation to set up a 600 MW coal power plant in Yavatmal,Maharashtra a cost of 585 Million US Dollars translating into 0.91 Million US Dollars per MW .
 
• Similarly The Indian Government owned NTPC is setting up indigenous coal based (more expensive compared to imported coal due to mining costs) ……2640 MW plant in Bundelkhand Madhya Pardesh consisting of 4 Units ( 660 x4) at a cost of 2.9 billion US Dollars translating into 1.09 Million dollars per MW. It is well in knowledge of Mr Shehbaz Sharif but they are notorious for inflating project costs to skim off money. Examples are Metro project in Lahore and now in Rawalpindi at grossly inflated prices.
 
THE MATH of Corruption
 
Taking into account the planed implementation of a total of 13200 MW coal based power projects for which MOUs have already been executed ,the total amount of money to be looted is 13200x 0.25 million US Dollars translates to a very conservative 3.3 Billion US Dollars. In reality Chinese companies stand to make another extra 3 BILLION DOLARS.
 
The scheme so cleverly designed will enable the Chinese companies to set up the plants for free without putting a dollar of their own. The method is simple: Given the 75:25 ratio of Debt and Equity for these projects, the Chinese companies will put in 25 percent equity( already over priced by 25% over and above world prices) and 75% bank loans sovereign guaranteed by Govt of Pakistan. The interest cost will be recovered from consumers. So 25 % being the kick back, the Chinese companies will be setting up the plant for free. Whereas Sharifs and Khawaja will be skimming the remaining 3+ Billion dollars
 
THE WAY FORWARD
 
To save the nation from this mother of all corruption it is imperative to launch a nationwide campaign through media, patriotic legislators politicians, professionals and also Supreme Court to demand an independent estimation of actual costs..otherwise Sharif Brothers and Khawaja Asif will again plunder national wealth .

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RIGGING TO SUSTAIN DEMOCRACY? by Brig (Retd) Samson Sharaf

RIGGING TO SUSTAIN DEMOCRACY?

by Samson Sharaf

 

 

 

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The prevailing political chaos in Pakistan is complicated by conflicting narratives. Despite confusion the time for an idea has come. People discern right from wrong.

 

Democracy despite its inefficacy must continue in present format; eventually it would cleanse itself. Establishment/ foreign agencies have hatched a London Plan. The narrative with minor adjustments is also used by parliamentary opposition and the pseudo liberals. Hidden behind this theory are billions of ill-gotten dollars and business empires raised out of nowhere to manifest ambitions of political upstarts and creations of opportunity. Nawaz Sharif’s sojourn in Saudi Arabia gives weightage to his religious credentials. He dislikes the army for putting a spanner in his Jihadist designs. A cartoon best sums up this fallacy with the caption that the Army instead of tanks now uses animals inscribed with ‘Go Nawaz Go’ for regime change.

 

Pakistan is a state with perpetual crises. The military and intelligence agencies are rouge. Without civilian supremacy and clipping of armed forces, Pakistan will remain a threat to neighbours. Ultimately Pakistan’s nuclear weapons will fall into hands of terrorists. Proponents of this theory ignore that for the past six months, Pakistan’s armed forces are fighting the most effective war against terrorism that overshadows the entire duration of ISAF-NATO operations in Afghanistan. The war lacks civil support that would rather sleep with the enemy.

 

Pakistan’s democratic progress is hostage to powerful corrupt and dishonest elites. Over past six decades, they have subverted Jinnah’s social contract with the people. It is time that Pakistanis become true stake holders in the system through transparency. This is the Azadi (freedom) and Inqilab (revolution). Critics maintain that Imran Khan and Dr Qadri are pawns being used to advance an agenda of establishment and foreign powers. As a corollary, another narrative describes the Azadi/Inqilab movement as precursor to anarchy, balkanisation and nuclear disarmament. The biggest merchant of horse trading and bribing General (Retired) Mirza Aslam Beg of Mehran Bank Scandal relishes the limelight to emerge from obscurity as the leader of this notion to help goons he financed and groomed.

 

The print and electronic media initially took a realistic and objective view of the situation. But as time passed, most media houses and anchors took to grilling their panels with some facts, half-truths and falsifications. These discussions sans framework went berserk. If this wild spin is to be believed, then corruption for the sake of giving democracy a chance and civilian supremacy is condonable. Pakistan’s staged encounters killing innocents are a necessary ends means relationship. Imran Khan and Dr Qadri are terrorists and foreign agents who must be tried for high treason.

Pakistan’s commentators and intellectuals are confused. Some have an elastic conscience or harbour personal grudges. Far and few see the entire crises as violation of fundamental human rights and international agreements. Despite accepting rigging as fait accompli, they are unnerving in their expediency to support the status quo.

 

Most human right organisations are biased. The curious silence over state sponsored massacre in Model Town Lahore, excessive use of chemical agents in Islamabad, use of ball ammunition against unarmed protestors, illegal custodies and deaths spell duplicity. Silence means criminal neutrality. Asma Jehanghir, the recent recipient of Alternative Noble Prize is full of hate and venom against this movement. She would rather single out presence of women and children at dharnas (human shields) than challenge death of innocents. Since these protests are premised on the fundamental rights of individuals and sanctity of the ballot, one expected an objective approach. Being a lawyer an ex-president of the Bar, one expected her to vociferously criticise aberrations in the constitution created by Chaudary Courts that led to rigged elections.

 

Perhaps the most despicable are the inactive left and armchair reformists. Their space as advocates of civic conscience has quickly been usurped by the Azadi/Inqilab slogan. These pseudo leftist and liberals insist to demean both leaders at every forum.

 

Daily speeches on the containers talk of the relationship of the people with the state as enshrined in the first three parts of the constitution of Pakistan. They create awareness on social issues mentioning women, labourers, tenants, haris, farmers, students, teachers, low income groups, human resource development, exploitative capitalism, corruption, jobbery, nepotism and injustice. Their oratory flows out of the speeches made by Qaid e Azam Muhamad Ali Jinnah, Islamic history and international charters. Some commentators have laureled them as rightists with a leftist agenda. But Imran Khan is neither left nor right. He is actually re-focussing the centrality of Pakistan’s politics. As the movement gains momentum, it is a foregone conclusion that most trade unions, labour unions and small socialist parties would form tributaries to the sea resigning the intellectuals to armchairs.

 

Lieutenant General Khalid Rabbani’s (the chief counter terrorism commander) talk at National Defence University brings clarity to the confusion and narratives. He stressed on the need to extending operations to the mainland. He hinted that political issues were impeding action against terror groups in Punjab and Balochistan. These operations were delayed for three years due to indecision. Belatedly undertaken, urban operations are limited due to lack of civilian capacity and will. This is an issue repeatedly written by the scribe and also voiced by Ex-Prime Minister Gilani and Major General (R) Athar Abbas. The revelation by a serving general by implication singles out General (R) Kayani and the present government for the strategic impasse. Link this apprehension to the recent statement of Chaudary Shujaat Hussain. A complicity to sustain an agreement reached between foreign powers, PML-N, PPP with the then COAS as guarantor emerges. Three successive tenures is the bottom line.

 

Post-Election Review Report on General Elections 2013, released by Election Commission of Pakistan could not dilute the overpowering role of Returning Officers in making the elections questionable. Limited admissions by ECP in its review are made with the twin purpose of exoneration and hope to hide larger facts. Shall we therefore conclude that Elections 2013 were rigged beyond reasonable doubt but why?  

 

Instability of Pakistan is an important plank for international actors to keep Pakistan pliant. Given a road of healthy democracy and socio-economic development, Pakistan would emerge too independent to be tamed. Thus the electoral logjam must be maintained. Who is right and who is wrong is for readers to judge.  

 

Brigadier (Retired) Samson Simon Sharaf is a political economist and a television anchorperson. Email and twitter[email protected]

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NAYA AUR PURANA PAKISTAN

Opinion: Capital suggestion / Sunday, September 28, 2014

 

NAYA AUR PURANA PAKISTAN

Dr Farrukh Saleem

Purana Pakistan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purana Pakistan has six characteristics.

One, elected leaders treat state assets as their personal estates.

Two, elected leaders mutate civil servants into their personal serfs.

Three, taxes are collected and then spent to fulfill rulers’ priorities.

Four, monetary rewards of political power are extremely high. 

Five, there is massive under-investment in human capital.

Six, power projects are being inaugurated that would produce power at an astronomical rate of Rs41 per unit.

Here are the proofs of the above six.

One, Rehman Malik had a PIA aircraft wait for him for two long hours.

Two, on June 17, Punjab Police killed 14 unarmed citizens.

Three, budgetary allocation for the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is Rs160 million while the annual budget for the PM House is Rs770 million. 

Four, Pakistanis are getting more and more indebted by the minute while assets of the ruling class keep on increasing by the day.

 Five, Nigeria is the only country on the face of the planet with more out-of-school children than Pakistan.

Six, the cost of the Nandipur Power Project has gone up from $329 million to $847 million and if diesel is used to produce power it will cost Rs41 per unit.

This is what purana Pakistan is mostly about.

Admittedly, Imran Khan has no comprehensive blueprint for Naya Pakistan; neither does Allama Tahirul Qadri. What they have done, however, is exposed the purana Pakistan to 180 million Pakistanis. And Pakistanis hate what they see in purana Pakistan.

Here are the proofs that Pakistanis hate what they see in purana Pakistan.

One, passengers threw Rehman Malik off the PIA aircraft – something that has no precedence in our political history.

Two, police high-command has now started demanding written orders from their elected leaders in order to shoot at unarmed citizens.

General (r) Mirza Aslam Baig, for reasons only known to him, may want to call it a foreign conspiracy against Pakistan but, to be certain, throwing Rehman Malik out the PIA aircraft is no American conspiracy against Pakistan. To be sure, police high-command demanding written orders from their elected leaders is no Jewish conspiracy against Pakistan. This is all about Pakistani middle class revolting against purana Pakistan.

NAYA PAKISTAN

 

 

 

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Naya Pakistan has to be a contractual state. Naya Pakistan has to have a social contract between the voters and their elected leaders. The social contract must cover three things.

One, who will pay taxes?

Two, how much taxes will be paid by each taxpayer?

Three, how will these taxes be spent?

Naya Pakistan has to have three things – elections, accountability and a responsive government (purana Pakistan has had plenty of elections but neither accountability nor a responsive government).

Here are four steps to a naya Pakistan.

One, alter spending priorities as per voters’ needs and demands.

Two, invest in education and health.

Three, invest in justice.

Four, privatize all public sector enterprises in a competitive, transparent process.

The constitution is not under threat.

The democratic system is not under threat.

Yes, the old political order is under threat.

And, yes, the custodians of the old political order are feeling threatened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The writer is a columnist based in Islamabad. Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @saleemfarrukh

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NAWAZ SHARIF’S MOTORCADE & HOLLAND PM ON BICYCLE

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Off Floods, Lion & the Monkey by Dr.Moeed Pirzada

Off Floods, Lion & the Monkey

Moeed Pirzada

September 10 at 1:07am ·

Off Floods, Lion & the Monkey:- Once upon a time a Lion was going on vacations; Monkeys demanded that since they have never been the King of the Jungle this time around their Chief Monkey should be the king. So Lion agreed and a Monkey was made King for a day. Only a few hours had passed when a herd of sheep approached the “Monkey King” crying and protesting that a wolf has taken one of their young and King need to do something. Monkey King said, “Don’t worry” and then immediately went across thick Jungle jumping across trees while shouting warnings to the Wolf. Nothing happened; Sheep returned crying and telling that Wolf has already gone far off; on this Monkey again shouted threats to Wolf and starting jumping across trees, however soon sheep returned crying and wailing that wolf is now sitting at river edge and eating the young sheep. On this Monkey King said: “Tusee dekhya kay mein koshish tay bohat kiti see” – You have seen that I tried my level best.

Pakistani politics of flood management is built on the same principle. It is not about current government. All governments have been doing the same. Floods are not a strike from the blue. Each year, year after year, we are hit by floods in Monsoon season. Millions are displaced, hundreds die, properties are destroyed, poor end on streets and lower middle classes are impoverished with cycles of disease and sickness and millions of cusecs of precious water rolls on to fall in Arabian sea. And ministers, Chief Ministers and govt officials are dancing in front of the TV cameras pretending that they are doing, “bohat si koshish” trying their level best.

PMLN govt is in power in Punjab for six plus years; they have been in power in 1990’s and PPP ruled Center and Sindh twice in 1990’s and again from 2008 till 2013. Massive floods hit us in 2010 as well ravaging Punjab, Sindh and KPK. We have seen all of them along with Asfandyar Wali ganging together inside the parliament building to defend their interests and family control and crying wolf on the “parliament’s broken gate” but what have they done in real terms for flood prevention and management? And what are the results? what happened to the Lahore High Court Report on Flood Management? And what about the Dams?

PMLN was once committed to Kalabagh but was unable to take PPP along on the issue. Whereas river Indus was an emotional (though totally misleading) issue in interior Sindh and PPP failed in resolving this politically; the position of ANP and Asfandyar Wali Khan has been very suspicious on this issue. On whose signal they were crying wolf against Kalabagh? A party that took around half a million votes last year and not much higher in 2008, has been crying on behalf of Pashtoons, was it really for the love of Nowshera and Pashtoons or they had to please someone else? May be politicians in Sindh and KPK were part of an anti-Dam script written somewhere else?

Perhaps all of them are waiting for the day when India will successfully complete its project of several dozen dams and they will sell electricity to us and will manage floods for us; Is this the political vision of our leaders?

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