Have complete faith in ‘competent, professional’ JIT: Rehman Malik

ISLAMABAD: Senator Rehman Malik on Friday said that he has full faith in the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) comprising “professional and competent” people and said that he doesn’t think the team will be unjust towards anyone.

Talking to media after his appearance before the JIT, formed to probe prime minister’s financial dealings abroad, Malik said that he has confirmed every word of his report—already submitted to the Supreme Court--including the two letters written to former president Rafiq Tarar. He added that he has provided additional evidence to the JIT.

He also criticised ‘propoganda’ against his party, saying his political opponents had been claiming since the past 15 days that the Pakistan Peoples Party has entered into a deal to save Nawaz Sharif.

“I am not here to save or entrap anyone...neither am I here to avenge anyone,” the former interior minister said.

Taking a jibe at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, Malik said that he is claiming the accountability of the Sharif was an outcome of his struggle but has forgotten it was him (Malik) who “prepared the pitch for the ground.”

Earlier on reaching the Federal Judicial Academy, he had said during a media talk that he will do justice today with the nation as well as his profession.

"After the documents I provide them [JIT] today, there will be no need [to get more evidence in the case]," he claimed. 

Malik brought with him documents related to the case. 

He said he is taking two letters to the then president and necessary evidence [to the JIT], and also named the 10 investigators who were part of his team when he investigated Nawaz Sharif in the mid 1990s. 

"I will only come out after the JIT is satisfied with all questions related to money laundering," he added.

"I'm a hockey player and today I will score a goal," he said before proceeding inside. 

The PPP senator, who was the interior minister in the previous federal government, is expected to inform the JIT about the Sharif family's involvement in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case, according to sources. 

The JIT, formed on May 6 in light of the Supreme Court’s April 20 judgment in the Panama case, is probing the prime minister's family's global financial assets. 

Malik, a former bureaucrat, also served in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) at various posts, and later became the agency’s director-general.

He was investigating Nawaz Sharif for corruption during the second government of Benazir Bhutto in the mid-1990s while being in the FIA.

He is also a member of the Senate for the second time in a row from the PPP-Parliamentarians. At present, he chairs the Senate Committee on Interior and Narcotics while being a member of several others.

Earlier, Malik was asked to appear before the team on June 17 but he requested to reschedule the date as he was not in the country.

Malik had claimed in a press conference that he will record his statement with full freedom before the JIT.

Moreover, the JIT has also summoned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar on June 24, according to sources. 

In its probe so far, the JIT has recorded statements of several members of the Sharif family, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his brother Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his sons; Hassan and Hussain. 

The JIT will submit its complete investigation report to the Supreme Court's special implementation bench on July 10.