Daily Times

Politically motivated cases are a norm in Pakistan. While some ‘proclaimed offenders’ are ‘lucky’ enough to strike a deal with those in power, there are others who are hauled over the coals for their so-called sins. One such example is that of President Asif Zardari and his late spouse, twice prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto. A 13-year old reference, known as the Societe Generale Surveillance (SGS) case, was filed against former Chairman Board of Revenue A R Siddiqui while Mr Zardari and late Ms Bhutto were accused of getting kickbacks for awarding a contract to the SGS. Now the Accountability Court has instead declared a Swiss national, Jens Schlegilmitch, as the proclaimed offender and acquitted Mr Siddiqui. In its 35-page judgement, the court has made it clear that there was no reliable and admissible evidence on record to prove allegations that SGS had given kickbacks/commission to President Zardari and that the president had no concern with the bank account in Geneva relating to the offshore companies.

President Zardari’s spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said, “The verdict shows how anti-people forces all along sought to eliminate Bhuttos and keep them away from the people of Pakistan through allegations based on bogus documents, followed by inquiries, regurgitating allegations and orchestrated media trials.” The SGS case is a good example of how, without a shred of evidence, innocent people have been made to suffer for decades because of false charges. Our judiciary’s past is also very dark in this regard. Signing sentence orders prepared by the prosecution either due to pressure or some other ‘favours’ is something that many judges have been guilty of in the past. It should also be noted that PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif was the one behind the SGS case. He should be made answerable for the crime he has committed. It is a great tragedy that in order to settle scores, Mian sahib went so far as to implicate Ms Bhutto and her husband in false cases. Shame on our politicians for indulging in such nefarious activities! *