June 15 , 2012
Dr Arsalan Iftikhar Involved in Bribery Case?
The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, widely respected for his integrity, was brought down from his high pedestal by media reports that his son, Dr. Arsalan Iftikhar, was given Rs.340 million by the owner of Bahria Town, a chain of large housing projects, to subsequently gain favors of the highest judge of the country. It was also alleged that the son and his family were provided by the same source air tickets to London, costly hotel accommodation and credit cards for shopping.
The property tycoon, Malik Riaz Husain, said to be the richest real-estate developer in Asia, had kept meticulously all available documents to substantiate his allegation although he has yet to appear before the court and submit the documents. Some evidence was made available to four eminent journalists and talk-show hosts. Their talks and writings on the subject drew public attention. The Chief Justice took suo moto notice of the reports and summoned to his court his son and some of the newsmen. A three-member bench, headed by the Chief Justice, heard the proceedings. The Chief Justice withdrew from the hearing of the case as it would have been improper for him as father to hear the case involving the alleged misconduct of his son. However, he promised that severest punishment, under the law, would be given to Dr. Arsalan if he was found guilty of the serious aberration.
Dr. Arsalan was also asked not to return to the family house till the Supreme Court finally decided the case.
Ostensibly, the motive behind the evil deed appears to be to tarnish the image of the Chief Justice and undermine the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court under the leadership of Mr. Chaudhry is now the only institution of the country which is adamantly maintaining its integrity, hence the respect of the nation for it. The ruling elites of the country are hurting because of the honesty and sincerity of the Court. They are unable to bend the court to their ulterior motives. Lower courts, however, continue to carry the tarnish of graft. Inspiration from the top court is filtering down to them too, but the expected change is slow in coming.
Tehrik-I-Insaaf chief, Imran Khan, upholding the likely evil intent of Malik Riaz, has remarked: “Unnerved by the courageous decisions of the Supreme Court, the ruling mafia decided to damage (CJ’s) image. Since the CJ himself is incorruptible and a man of high integrity, those wanting to weaken him chose to target his son.” Referring to the media reports, Imran said, “Riaz Malik’s intent was not to buy influence but only to compromise the Chief Justice’s son and use this later to defame the judiciary”.
He emphasized: “We know who are the real instigators behind Riaz Malik’s conspiracy. He is just a pawn in the hands of the corrupt Zardari/Gilani cabal ruling the country that is threatened by an independent judiciary. It has long been seeking to undermine it in whatever way possible.”
Interestingly enough, Prime Minister Gilani has also come out with a statement on the issue. But, he has just offered the Chief Justice his own son, in place of the CJ’s son Dr. Arsalan, and judicial investigation! One is at a loss to fathom the relevance or wisdom of this profound gesture.
There are two characters in this episode whose particulars may be of some interest to the readers of this column. One is Dr. Arsalan Iftikhar, the CJ’s son, and the other is Malik Riaz Husain, owner of Bahria Town. Their thumbnail sketches are given below. The write-up on Dr. Arsalan is based on a piece published by daily Dawn of June 7.
Dr. Arsalan Iftikhar came to public attention in 2007 when Gen. Pervez Musharraf filed a reference against his father before the Supreme Judicial Council. The Chief Justice was alleged to have abused his position to gain undue advantages for Dr. Arsalan. He had secured a C grade in Intermediate exam and was thus under-qualified for admission to Bolan Medical College. It was alleged that the Chief Minister of Balochistan was approached to nominate Arsalan against a foreign vacant seat. Nine years later he was appointed as a medical officer at the Institute of Public Health. A few days later, the Chief Minister passed an order promoting Dr. Arsalan as Section Officer in the Health Dept. Then the Ministry of Interior requested the Chief Secretary to make available his services to FIA. In 2006, he was promoted to the position of Deputy Director in FIA. Influence then was exercised to have him inducted into the Police Service of Pakistan. This was not possible till an amendment in the Act covering Police Service rules.
The charges against Dr. Arsalan in the case before the Supreme Court are common knowledge. One hopes that the court finds the charges untenable and dismisses the case. The indirect allegations against his father are similarly set aside. He has rendered remarkable and courageous service to the nation and as such people would appreciate his being exonerated.
Malik Riaz Hussaini, the owner and force behind Bahria Town, started in 1980 as a minor contractor. As competition targeted the rich, he built for the emerging middle class, becoming one of Pakistan’s richest developers.
Bahria Town is now one of the largest real-estate developers in Pakistan, and the biggest housing society of Asia. Bahria Town has projects in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad. It has on the anvil projects in Murree and Karachi.
Critics say Malik Riaz’s empire has been fueled by close ties to the military. Ayesha Siddiqa, a civilian defense analyst and author of “Military Inc: Inside Pakistan Military Economy,” alleges that those links have allowed him to acquire land, in some cases returning a percentage to senior officers as developed plots.
Before ending this column, I should like to express the apprehension that the corrupt ruling mafia has been of late launching their progeny into the political field. These youngsters might dominate the political landscape and add further sinews to the feudal structure of the society - a lamentable retrogression.
arifsyedhussaini@Gmail.com
