by Mariam Rehman

Only 34 politicians are among the beneficiaries of NRO, according to the list provided by the government the other day. NRO came out after a deal between Former President, Gen. (retd) Musharaff and Benazir Bhutto, and as a result, the politically-motivated cases were withdrawn. Now the total number of beneficiaries is 8000, which includes only 34 politicians (according to government) and what about the rest of 7966?

MQM and PPP came up as the two biggest beneficiaries of NRO, 4 names from PML-N are among the beneficiaries as well. The beneficiaries include Asif Ali Zardari (President), Altaf Hussain (MQM chief), Dr Farooq Sattar (MQM’s parliamentary leader), Shoaib Bukhar (Provincial Minister, MQM), Babar Ghouri (Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping), Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad, Rehman Malik (Interior Minister), Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Nusrat Bhutto (PPP), Haji Nawaz Khokhar (former deputy speaker of National Assembly), Malik Mushtaq Awan (PPP), Mian Mohammad Rasheed, Tariq Anees, Anwar Saifullah Khan (MNA), Sardar Mansoor Leghari (ex-MNA), Aftab Sherpao (MNA), Habibullah Kundi (former NWFP minister), Ahmed Sadiq (ex-principal secretary to PM), Salman Farooqi (Secretary-General to the President, famous for his cases of Pakistan Steel Mill), Pakistan’s Ambassador in Washington Hussain Haqqani and Wajid Shamsul Hasan, High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

Interestingly, most of the beneficiaries are denying the fact that they had taken any relief under NRO and it makes it obvious that how ‘badnaam’ this ordinance has become.