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ISLAMABAD: Brig (retd) Ejaz Shah, a trusted buddy of Pervez Musharraf and former spymaster who earned rare notoriety during his long intelligence career, is all set to contest a National Assembly (NA) seat from his hometown of Nankana Saheb in the upcoming general elections and desires to get a ticket from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which is desperately hunting for the electable lot.
“I have already covered my election campaign by 60 percent as an independent candidate,” Shah confirmed to The News. “Both the PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) teams that visited Nankana Saheb and other districts to suggest to their respective leadership suitable nominees for the forthcoming elections, supported my candidacy.”
He did not categorically deny that he was aspiring for the PML-N sponsorship to boost up his electoral prospects, but was confident that he would win even as an independent candidate, a claim that was endorsed by one of his bitter opponents in the PML-N, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.
In the long list of Shah’s black deeds conspicuously figure his filling of an affidavit supporting Musharraf’s version before the Supreme Court in the case of suspension of the then deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. His name was then included among the five persons, who were accused of assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
Sanaullah told The News that he has heard that the PML-N is trying to put up Shah in the next polls but at the same time there is stiff resistance to his induction. “It will be impossible to swallow this bitter pill,” he said.
But he conceded that Shah has chances of winning the NA seat from Nankana Saheb because of the huge development work that he did there while working under Musharraf as director general of the Intelligence Bureau (IB). At the time, Shah had massive public money at his disposal to spend in this constituency to build roads, hospitals, clubs, bridges and schools. He also connected Sui Gas to this town. He was the main force behind creation of Nankana Saheb as a separate district.
“Shah is the man, who is directly responsible for brutal torture on me by the ISI in 2003. At the time, I had moved an adjournment motion in the Punjab Assembly in which I had nominated him as the main culprit. I had also named him in the report filed with the Faisalabad police that was not registered due to his influence,” Sanaullah said.
He said if Shah was to be taken in the PML-N, accepting Musharraf, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chadurhy Pervez Elahi in the party should not be a big deal. “Shah is not a lesser criminal than them.”
But Shah told this correspondent that he has repeatedly explained to Sanaullah that he was not behind the torture perpetrated on him. “Sanaullah knows the persons responsible.”
He said during his long intelligence career, he never committed even a single illegality, nor did he misuse his authority. He said there was no patch on his career except his controversial naming in Benazir Bhutto’s assassination which has also proved false. “But one can commit mistakes unintentionally.”
Citing his huge development work in Nankana Saheb, Shah said he had a vision to make it a religious resort, which he has successfully realised at least 40 percent by converting it into an international city where the infrastructure matches the prominent world places. He said not even a single brick has been used in the city over the past five years, and the development work stands where he had left in Musharraf regime.
Shah said all the aspirants, who wanted to contest Punjab Assembly seats from Nankana Saheb, wished him to lead them.
He said he resigned as IB chief on March 18, 2008 before the present government came in place. In late nineties, he was head of the ISI Punjab. Because of this position, he developed a rapport with the then Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif. Sanaullah added that Shah was responsible for torturing a number of political personalities and others due to the confidence of Musharraf he enjoyed.
According to Wikipedia, Shah, a long-term close associate of Musharraf, was appointed IB chief in 2004. He became a controversial and notorious personality as he was accused of using his department for political victimisation and undermining the judiciary. He was the ISI officer handling British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, convicted for the murder of Daniel Pearl .
In 2004, Musharraf’s attempt to appoint Shah as High Commissioner to Australia was rejected in a highly unusual move by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs. Instead Musharraf made him head of the IB. Benazir Bhutto, in a letter to Musharaf written on October 16, 2007, named Shah as one of the four persons including the then chief minister of Punjab Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, the then chief minister of Sindh Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, and the former ISI chief Hamid Gul behind the attacks on her.
According to the SC judgment on Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s suspension, the contents of Shah’s affidavit were similar to those contained in the similar sworn statements submitted by then MI chief and the chief of staff to Musharraf.
“I have already covered my election campaign by 60 percent as an independent candidate,” Shah confirmed to The News. “Both the PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) teams that visited Nankana Saheb and other districts to suggest to their respective leadership suitable nominees for the forthcoming elections, supported my candidacy.”
He did not categorically deny that he was aspiring for the PML-N sponsorship to boost up his electoral prospects, but was confident that he would win even as an independent candidate, a claim that was endorsed by one of his bitter opponents in the PML-N, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.
In the long list of Shah’s black deeds conspicuously figure his filling of an affidavit supporting Musharraf’s version before the Supreme Court in the case of suspension of the then deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. His name was then included among the five persons, who were accused of assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
Sanaullah told The News that he has heard that the PML-N is trying to put up Shah in the next polls but at the same time there is stiff resistance to his induction. “It will be impossible to swallow this bitter pill,” he said.
But he conceded that Shah has chances of winning the NA seat from Nankana Saheb because of the huge development work that he did there while working under Musharraf as director general of the Intelligence Bureau (IB). At the time, Shah had massive public money at his disposal to spend in this constituency to build roads, hospitals, clubs, bridges and schools. He also connected Sui Gas to this town. He was the main force behind creation of Nankana Saheb as a separate district.
“Shah is the man, who is directly responsible for brutal torture on me by the ISI in 2003. At the time, I had moved an adjournment motion in the Punjab Assembly in which I had nominated him as the main culprit. I had also named him in the report filed with the Faisalabad police that was not registered due to his influence,” Sanaullah said.
He said if Shah was to be taken in the PML-N, accepting Musharraf, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chadurhy Pervez Elahi in the party should not be a big deal. “Shah is not a lesser criminal than them.”
But Shah told this correspondent that he has repeatedly explained to Sanaullah that he was not behind the torture perpetrated on him. “Sanaullah knows the persons responsible.”
He said during his long intelligence career, he never committed even a single illegality, nor did he misuse his authority. He said there was no patch on his career except his controversial naming in Benazir Bhutto’s assassination which has also proved false. “But one can commit mistakes unintentionally.”
Citing his huge development work in Nankana Saheb, Shah said he had a vision to make it a religious resort, which he has successfully realised at least 40 percent by converting it into an international city where the infrastructure matches the prominent world places. He said not even a single brick has been used in the city over the past five years, and the development work stands where he had left in Musharraf regime.
Shah said all the aspirants, who wanted to contest Punjab Assembly seats from Nankana Saheb, wished him to lead them.
He said he resigned as IB chief on March 18, 2008 before the present government came in place. In late nineties, he was head of the ISI Punjab. Because of this position, he developed a rapport with the then Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif. Sanaullah added that Shah was responsible for torturing a number of political personalities and others due to the confidence of Musharraf he enjoyed.
According to Wikipedia, Shah, a long-term close associate of Musharraf, was appointed IB chief in 2004. He became a controversial and notorious personality as he was accused of using his department for political victimisation and undermining the judiciary. He was the ISI officer handling British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, convicted for the murder of Daniel Pearl .
In 2004, Musharraf’s attempt to appoint Shah as High Commissioner to Australia was rejected in a highly unusual move by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs. Instead Musharraf made him head of the IB. Benazir Bhutto, in a letter to Musharaf written on October 16, 2007, named Shah as one of the four persons including the then chief minister of Punjab Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, the then chief minister of Sindh Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, and the former ISI chief Hamid Gul behind the attacks on her.
According to the SC judgment on Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s suspension, the contents of Shah’s affidavit were similar to those contained in the similar sworn statements submitted by then MI chief and the chief of staff to Musharraf.
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