Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior, Mirza ShahzadAkbar, shared the copies of all relevant documents, judgments, and awardsin the Broadsheet case with journalists, on the directives of PrimeMinister Imran Khan and in line with his stance that transparency is vitalfor the process of accountability.——————————
——————————
“We represent the nation and came on this mandate (of accountability) so itis the Prime Minister’s stance that for transparency, everything whichshould be in public access, the government should do it (and make itavailable),” he said in a press conference in Islamabad.
According to Akbar, two judgments were being made public i.e. the judgmentfor the liability award in 2016 which confirms that the government ofPakistan was liable to pay Broadsheet and the quantum award in 2018 whichdetermines the actual amount of the liability to be paid.——————————
He revealed that the government got the written consent from the lawyers ofBroadsheet to make these documents public, adding that they had noreservations regarding this move.
Read Top Stories
“The prime minister has formed a ministerial committee on Broadsheet anddirected them to furnish its recommendations within 48 hours. Thegovernment’s next course of action will be decided in the light of thoserecommendations,” he remarked.
Elaborating on the details of the quantum award, Akbar informed that thegovernment had to pay $21.5 million to Broadsheet, out of which $20.5million was paid because of the Sharif family, of which $1.5 million waspaid against the Avenfield apartments and $19 million against assets ofNawaz Sharif. The amount represents the “cost of past NationalReconciliation Ordinances (NROs)” and deals people of Pakistan had to bear.