Shahbaz's 10 front firms found: PM's aide.

Byline: Syed Irfan Raza

ISLAMABAD -- The government has decided to tighten the noose around Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif after Eid as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Accountability Shahzad Akbar on Wednesday claimed to have unearthed 10 front companies of the PML-N president and his sons from where over Rs17 billion had been transferred to their bank accounts.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz described the claim as the same old wine in a new bottle and said if Mr Akbar had any evidence of corruption against Shahbaz Sharif, then why he had not filed a case against the opposition leader in the court.

'The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is preparing a fresh reference against Shahbaz Sharif regarding the front companies, which will be filed in an accountability court,' a senior government official told Dawn.

Addressing a press conference, Shahzad Akbar claimed that 10 front companies of the PML-N president had been detected which were in the name of some employees of the Sharif Group. 'A sum of Rs1.7bn was transferred to Shahbaz Sharif and his sons through TTs (telegraphic transfers) from these benami accounts,' he added.

PML-N dismisses claims as old 'fake' cases

Giving details of these firms, the SAPM said Nisar Trading Company was formed in the name of Sharif Feed Mills' employee Rashid Karamat Masih and an amount of Rs425 million was deposited in the company and then transferred to Mr Sharif's account. Similarly, he added, Khan Trading Company was established in the name of Gulzar Ahmed Khan, father of one Shakeel Ahmed who was an employee of Ramzan Sugar Mills (RSM), and Rs450m was received from the account of this company.

Mr Akbar said Hayyat Trading Company was formed in the name of Khizar Hayyat, an employee of Chiniot Power Limited, and Rs1.14bn was sent from it to the account of Mr Sharif. A firm was formed in the name of Tauqeeruddin, an employee of RSM, and Rs475m was transferred from it, he added. He said Masqsood Ahmed, a peon of Shahbaz Sharif's headquarters in Model Town, owned a firm called...