Govt forms inter-ministerial committee after Broadsheet controversy

ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz said on Tuesday that the federal cabinet has formed an inter-ministerial committee to probe the Broadsheet scandal, ARY News reported.

Briefing media in Islamabad about decisions taken by the cabinet today (Tuesday), the information minister said that the cabinet has decided to reveal facts to expose individuals in light of the findings of UK Law firm Broadsheet.

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and others influenced the inquiry to save their own skin and now the government under Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to make those names public after thorough scrutiny, he added.

Broadsheet CEO Kaveh Mousavi has said that he was offered a $25 million bribe to drop an asset probe against the Sharif family.

UK-based asset recovery firm Broadsheet LLC was hired in 2000 by General Pervez Musharraf’s government to help recover assets stashed by past Pakistani rulers abroad.

The federal minister further briefed media that the cabinet has also approved a bill to enhance the powers of the Auditor General of Pakistan to ensure transparency.

While speaking about the illegal sale of smuggled petrol in Pakistan, Shibli Faraz said that a crackdown has launched against petrol pumps involved in selling substandard smuggled petrol.

Read More: Broadsheet owner says was offered bribe to drop probe against Sharifs

“The sale of smuggled petrol is inflicting a loss of around Rs180 billion to the national exchequer,” he said and added that so far 192 petrol pumps have sealed across the country for selling substandard smuggled fuel.

Shibli said that Planning Minister Asad Umar raised the Osama Satti incident case in the cabinet and Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his strong displeasure and annoyance over the death of an Islamabad youth in police firing.

Joint Investigation Committee (JIT) formed to investigate the killing of Osama Satti has presented its report to the interior secretary, but the premier order a new probe as family members of the deceased youth is not satisfied with JIT’s findings, Shibli added.