Broadsheet case
Broadsheet inquiry commission
On 22 January 2021, the Federal Government appointed a one-man inquiry commission headed by former Supreme Court judge, Azmat Saeed Sheikh to probe into the Broadsheet scandal. However, the two major opposition parties of Pakistan – the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party – rejected the government's appointing of Justice (retd) Sheikh to the inquiry commission, citing his past affiliation with NAB as creating a "conflict of interest".[1][2]
On 8 March it was reported that the Government's own branches the Ministry of Law, the Ministry of Finance and the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) office were not cooperating with the investigation and had not provided the relevant records for it.[1]
On 22 March, the commission completed its investigation into the payment made to the British-based asset recovery firm Broadsheet LLC. In it's report, the commission found that the payment record of $1.5 million (Rs234m) to the fake Broadsheet was missing. It found that the records for the payment had disappeared from the ministries of finance and law, the office of the attorney general as well as the High Commission of Pakistan in London. As per a private TV channel, the files containing the payment details had been stolen from these places.[3]
- ^ a b Virk, Saqib (8 March 2021). "Govt not cooperating with its own Broadsheet panel". Express Tribune.
- ^ Guramani, Nadir (22 January 2021). "PML-N, PPP reject appointment of ex-SC judge to head Broadsheet inquiry". Dawn.
- ^ "Payment record of Rs234m to fake Broadsheet missing". The News. 23 March 2021.