Daily Times

KARACHI: When the former president Asif Ali Zardari was returning to Pakistan on Friday afternoon after a self-imposed exile of 18 months, personnel of Pakistan Rangers, Sindh were busy searching his close friend’s office in Karachi.

The Rangers personnel raided three offices of the Omni Group located along I.I. Chundrigar Road, Hockey Stadium and the Metropole. Omni Group is said to be owned by Anwar Majeed, a close aide of Asif Ali Zardari.

The raiding team also seized several files and records from the offices.

Rangers have also arrested five persons who were working in offices. In a statement, rangers’ spokesperson claimed that huge caches of weapons were also recovered from these offices during the raids.

Four people were taken into custody during the raid at the I.I. Chundrigar office, while the admin manager from the office near Hockey Stadium was arrested.

They were identified as Shehzad Shahid, Rajab Ali Rajpar, Ajmal Khan, Kamran Muneer Ansari and Kashif Hussain Shah.

According to sources Kamran Muneer Ansari supervises the sugar mills and all financial affairs of Anwar Majeed.

Ranger’s sources further said that the individuals taken into custody have been shifted to an unknown location for interrogation.

Meanwhile, personnel of a law enforcement agency rounded up another high-profile suspect from Defence area of the metropolis on Friday afternoon, sources said. The suspect, Nasir, was said to be a confidant of former DG Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) Manzoor Kaka.

Kaka, who has fled the country, is wanted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

In September 2015, another close fiend of Zardari, Dr. Asim Hussain revealed that all the appointments of secretaries, IGs and DIGs in Sindh were proposed by Omni Group, owned by Anwar Majeed, to Bilawal House.

DR Asim also reveled at that time that Omni Group’s Anwar Majeed’s approval is a must for the transfer and posting of any officer at any important post in Sindh .

Anwar Majeed is said to be not only a close friend of Asif Ali ZArdari but he also looks after his business interests.

There are 35 sugar mills in Sindh and majority of them are owned by Anwar Majeed.

Not only this but Majeed takes care of the matters related to Shikarpur Rice Mill, Dadu Sugar Mill, Thattha cement factory and Larkana Sugar Mill and he frequently uses the police for his assistance when ever and wherever required for the these businesses.

It was later confirmed that Anwar Majeed used Badin police to pressurize the sugarcane growers of the district, after which IGP Sindh AD Khawaj interfered and instructed the police officials not to indulge the matter ; later Khawaja was sent on a forced leave by Sindh government.