Broadsheet scandal to put Opposition in a 'tough spot', says Sheikh Rasheed.

KARACHI -- Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on Friday said that the Broadsheet LLC scandal and the government's probe over the latest revelations in the case will put the Opposition in a "tough spot", as he dismissed their objections to the government's choice of committee head.

He was addressing a press conference in Karachi after PML-N "rejected" a probe panel established by the government, which is to be headed by former Supreme Court Justice Azmat Saeed.

The interior minister asked the Opposition that if they are against the appointment of Saeed, then would they rather have Malik Qayyum in his place.

Qayyum was appointed as a Lahore High Court judge on Oct 24, 1988, but resigned after the Supreme Court in April 2001 described his conduct as 'biased' while deciding an appeal of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto against her conviction in a corruption case.

According to a media report, the PPP had "released the transcript of a phone conversation indicating (Saeed's) collusion with the incumbent government" (PML-N) regarding a judgment in a case against Benazir.

The interior minister went on to say: "Azmat Saeed has read Panama JIT (Joint Investigation Team) report's volume 10."

Warning PML-N, he said that their properties worth Rs85-100 million could be uncovered in the probe being conducted by the government.

Moreover, the interior minister claimed that PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, in 2000, had paid the National Accountability Bureau $7.5 million to get the watchdog off his back.

Earlier in the day...