Guest Post by Amer Nazir
Part Two of the ‘The NAB Diaries’ can be read here
Part Three of the ‘The NAB Diaries’ can be read here
My name is Amer Nazir. I live in exile in London. It is a forced exile. I left Pakistan as soon as NAB took my name off the Exit Control List after a period of three years. If I had not left, probably I would have also disappeared forever like my best friend Ahmed Shujaudin a leading architect.
God willing and the Teeth Maestro permitting, I intend to write about my journey from a modest middle-class background to one of the top IT entrepreneurs of Pakistan before I fell to the extent that I became homeless. Once a familiar face in the so-called corporate social circles in Karachi it came to a point where no one was willing to take my phone call after all, I was a NAB accused. I was never to be convicted but it did not matter. The logic was straight forward. If Shuja had been kidnapped then surely Shuja must have done something terrible to cause it or else at least deserve it…
The scope of these four narrations hopefully to be published during the next four weeks is to narrate a very brief account of my business journey, my labour of love, after a briefest possible introduction of myself, the major space will be given to my NAB experience, the actual inside account, and the behaviour and the attitude of our kings of the castle.
The hope is that some of you may see a part reflection of your own lives in this account and it may perhaps help you in some way. Another hope is that once it reaches the Free World and once fully investigated the world will realize that the common Pakistanis have never had the chance and that they deserve an honest break. There is also this hope to try and shame the shameless. And last but not least, and though it is a long shot, perhaps even Musharraf may realise the extent of damage he has done. He may finally understand, that although it is true for every institution, but especially when it comes to matters of justice, a self-designed system, a crude accountability set-up which is from day one formed on principles that are outside universally accepted rule of law is soon bound to become abusive and corrupt itself…
For the non-Pakistanis, NAB is the acronym for The National Accountability Bureau. The flag ship of Musharraf. The main reason he gave for assuming power. He said that the nation had become too corrupt. NAB is composed of serving and retired army officers with unlimited powers. They are answerable to none. Present in every major city, each NAB office has a jail within its compound where prisoners are kept without any possibilities of bail. Some of them picked up from the streets, most from their beds at dawn. Several have died during interrogations…
And lastly, my narration will detail how a proud Pakistani was forced to claim asylum in his wife’s homeland. Who although married to a British national for twenty years had never applied for the British nationality and had instead sponsored his wife for the Pakistani nationality instead…
I belong to an educated middle-class family which never had sufficient savings in the bank. I studied in Cathedral School and then Cadet College Hasanabdal and finally Government College Lahore. Now in retrospect, when one has a 20 by 20 vision, I think I was naive from the outset. I was not ready to compromise. I could never reconcile to the fact that I could actually be less than any high and mighty that I came across. I rejected constraints. I could do anything… as long as nature was just…
And then however it happened, starting from a salary of Rs. 1800 after graduation, I eventually became the Founding Director of Hi-Tech Business Machines at the age of twenty-four and few years later it’s Chief Executive. This company was the first IBM dealer in Pakistan and it later re-launched Compaq in the country as well. With offices in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad it employed 100 personnel which were to increase to 250 over the years.
Hilinks Pak was my next venture which launched hilinks.com the first international portal from Pakistan that was accessed in 56 countries. The first cyber based financial instrument the e-card was also launched by this company prior to Citibank. The next milestone was the first Telco-grade ISP in Karachi called Hinet which had twenty-five thousand users before it was forcibly closed down one day.
Collectively, the companies were called the E-Tech Group of companies. This set-up was the only one of its kind in the country. With an ISP, a hardware and software company, and an advertising company in the portfolio, and with products such as a portal and an e-card about to be granted credit and debit function by participating banks all this enabled the group to conduct the first B2B and B2C transactions in Pakistan in local currency. Along with many other firsts in the market, the Group also successfully managed remote trading for the first time on Karachi Stock Exchange on a trial basis. It was already providing access to KSE at zero delay free of cost to the visitors on hilinks.com with the assistance of Reuters.
The final glory of the group was the mutual co-branding of the e-card and the PIA frequent flyer card with PIA. This was announced in a press conference by the COO of PIA and myself. We had already re-launched the PIA site and had signed an agreement that gave the E-Tech Group rights to sell PIA cargo space and passenger seats on-line and on a worldwide basis, manage the last minute auction of seats, and establish the PIA call centre. Several international travel related industry partners including hotels and banks showed their interest to join the alliance which would have brought PIA at par with modern airlines in terms of customer services. It is worthwhile to note here that the E-Tech Group did not charge any fee to PIA for the services rendered. All profits were based on new and increased revenue streams because of the turn key solutions that we had offered to implement. In fact, the group saved PIA one million dollars to start with which otherwise would have gone to a foreign company when it linked the sabre system with the frequent flyer database.
And this was the stage when NAB came in… and since then PIA has struggled to follow the vision that we gave them… the actual outcome of which is for the people to judge themselves.
A burning ambition is an excitement that does not let you be. It sets you out on strange adventures. On a lonely path that promises great fortunes in terms of wealth, satisfaction, and recognition. The concept of being self-made seems as the ultimate prize, a dream at the risk of waking up one dreary morning to discover that it is at best only a rationalisation which is suppose to somehow justify the precious time that has gone by unnoticed, when it may even seem like a half-hearted consolation, perhaps even self-deception, with the rewards coming too late if they do come at all and when too much cost has already been paid in advance. And yet the yearning of a good life, of a purposeful and eventful life can still be felt in the wake. Even when one is forced to think that perhaps inherited wealth is the only solution that it is the only wealth that can be truly enjoyed since it may not demand much sacrifice or responsibility… but yet there will remain people like me who will never draw a line, who will never learn, who will never be content with whatever they are born into, and they will still attempt, they will do it all over again no matter what the cost until the very end…
I did manage to have my share of excitements. My group provided the first internet connectivity to ICTN Asia and Musharraf gave me a trophy, the photograph was carried by all the major newspapers. I had met Musharraf earlier also at parties when he was the Corps Commander Mangla but that is another story… I was also frequently invited to dinners at the Governor House when Soomro was governor. We had contributed financially and technically to his Caravan Karachi endeavour and he had given me a trophy in recognition at a public event at the Governor House…
However, the worse aspect of entrepreneurship especially in a non-structured economy is raising capital. The only form of capital available is through equity participation and I don’t think there is any need for me to say more… this tells a story by itself…
On assuming powers Musharraf had declared IT as a major sector for development that his government would pursue. Perhaps, he had been told by his advisors that IT had the potential of becoming the cottage industry of Pakistan and that we will soon beat India at her own game but that did not mean that the banks were ready to invest in intangibles with there being plenty of tangible plots and textile loams available for mortgage and re-mortgage. The banks did not find any consolation in the human collateral either it being the most inconsequential especially when it comes to Pakistanis.
But there was no stopping the Presidential courtiers. On the last day of the first ITCN, I was approached by the convenors of the exhibitions and was told to declare at a press conference that I had signed foreign contracts worth US 35 million. I refused… A month later, when I returned from a presentation to the Pakistani/American IT entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, the first few newspapers that my secretary placed on my desk had screaming headlines that included my group having signed major international contracts for the said amount… the statements came from our Minister Dr Atta Ur Rehman… this must have pleased the President tremendously even though not even ten percent of this revenue was ever expected to realize and it did not also in the end…
Coming back to raising capital, a classmate from Cathedral, a PIA captain, had approached me several times in the past to make PODF which stands for Pilo’s Occupational Disability Fund and which is the financial arm of PALPA as my partner but I had refused each time… I had personal reasons. My elder brother is a PIA captain and an ex-air force officer. And I had walked out on him several years ago, the reasons for which I have so far refused to publically discuss in spite of much provocation by the NAB officers… I always told them to ask my brother instead… but his version was already known and that too officially and on paper… I was a financially corrupt man beside the several other major flaws in my character… which even to this day, when not much has been left of me and my family, he insists on forwarding to newspaper editors..
However, in 2002, just when I was close to a partnership deal with Faisal Investment Bank which was later absorbed by Faisal Islamic Bank, my captain classmate insisted day after day that I should not allow a project of national importance to fall into the hands of foreigners… and finally I succumbed once he and the PODF board assured me that my brother will never have anything to do with it…
I was burning with ambition as usual. I was willing to do anything that could make my group achieve what I had envisioned. The terms of the new partnership were unconventional but I was willing to go to any extent to see my dream come true. PALPA did not pay me for my fifty percent equity in Hilinks that I passed on to them but it did not matter to me, I was overjoyed that they would invest to take the project forward and that they will also act as the Lender Of Last Resort to the group. However, they did pay me for half the share holding of Hi-Tech, and that entire amount I deposited as my equity in Hinet the next day the new company that we formed immediately and which owned the ISP… And as time was to tell, subsequently, PALPA also refused to pay me salary for the next two years as the Chief Executive… for the entire period of our partnership. It is therefore no wonder that having put everything in a group that I believed in, including the proceeds from the sale of my thousand yard house in Defence Society, into a business that I had nurtured for eighteen years… I was bound to become penniless and homeless soon after…
My brother did not take the news well when he heard about the new partnership. The events that were to unfold in the next two years therefore were a result of some serious manoeuvrings. The PALPA board came up for elections every two years. And this time, a very senior captain named B was not sure whether he would be able to win or not. He had been elected a few times in the past and now wanted a last stint as President before he retired but he was not confident about winning this time around since he had just been acquitted from a rape case… But there was good news as well. The entire country was excited about the accountability initiative in Pakistan and the Chairman NAB was Captain B’s personal friend, while the Vice Chairman was my brother’s colleague from Air Force. It was a comfortable setting rather perfect in fact, almost impossible to ignore. Accountability was the war cry in the streets of Pakistan at the time. People had developed fresh hopes due to Musharraf’s promises of eradicating corruption forever. In their minds they hoped to see the corrupt swinging from trees from their bedroom windows when they got up in the mornings and at the same time, it was also easy to accuse anyone and be counted amongst the moral… and thus, it should not take much imagination to guess what happened next…
My brother and Captain B declared in front of the PIA captain community that the current trustees of PODF ( serving captains) were embezzling huge amounts of money from the Group along with me… and that they had solid evidence. They also declared that the Chairman NAB had promised to put all the culprits behind bars and recover all the money… It was to be honest a rather battered old election slogan but which now possessed a fresh breath of life due to the nation’s leader whose own bread and butter depended on it. And therefore, it should not come as a surprise that the panel of vigilantes won the election rather easily and it now came upon them to make good their election promise…
There were a few technical problems though. Firstly, the case was outside the mandate of NAB since government, public or bank funds were not involved. Secondly, the Group had signed arguably the biggest co-branding in the country and a contract that could return the entire investment within perhaps even a year, and thirdly there were these several audits… the latest, a third-party audit, conducted by Ferguson only few weeks ago accounted for each and every penny. And then ironically, Ferguson was also the auditor of PALPA and PODF as well at the time… there could not have been any valid basis for suspecting foul play.
Moreover, there could also not be any doubts on any other aspect such as the viability of the project in case even if someone was blind to the PIA alliance since there was present a three-week old evaluation report from Ferguson Consultants in their capacity as the local partners of PriceWaterHouseCoopers. The report concluded that the value of the group had increased five fold even prior to the PIA alliance…
The above was a difficult preposition for NAB but the command came from the top. It had to be executed. And therefore, the only weapons in their arsenal, to start with and for the next three years, were the almost fantastic stories by their captain friends and the personal testimony of an estranged brother. Perhaps, there was also this overwhelming hope that I might have made a mistake somewhere which would eventually be discovered. Nonetheless, this was enough for NAB to come into action. They entered the picture ruthlessly, and though for the first year they out rightly refused to hand over any documentation in spite of the fact that my name was continuously on the Exit Control List throughout this period in later years they became either too reckless or else too arrogant and started to leave a massive paper trail as evidence. I yet kept on challenging them and once at a juncture of extreme frustration, they even opened a new and completely un-related case against me and my wife since she was also a director in the companies. And though they blatantly refused to charge us for any specific crime once again or take us to a court, they often threatened to have my wife extradited from UK since she had left for London taking our daughters to safety. As usual, in this particular case as well, the onus remained on us, the accused, to prove our innocence… at times against unspecified crimes rather than the other way around.
But Brigadier Abassi, I once pleaded. It has been three years now. Metaphorically speaking, no dead body has been found so far, neither has a murder weapon been discovered, nor is there any missing person whom one can presume as having been murdered, whose body has been possibly disposed and buried somewhere so can you please tell me my crime?
If we knew the exact details… do you think you would be sitting so comfortably in that chair… was the reply.
Part Two of the ‘The NAB Diaries’ can be read here
Part Three of the ‘The NAB Diaries’ can be read here
Comments
30 responses to “The NAB Diaries – Part One”
biography nay autobiography it is .fairly promising to be worth the time and effort.i am keeping my fingers crossed.good luck.bye
I would say Good Luck to the entire nation Group Captain Ismail. It is about time… and Good luck to the entire nation’s autobiographies or disclosures or whatever as long as truth can come out into the open – and of course, it is definitely worth the time and effort… The entire world is now of the opinion that there is no substitute for the Rule of Law and an independent judiciary. That, this is the only way to protect the common man against the tyrancy of a state. Thank You indeed for your support…
Dear Mr.Amer Nazir your story/auto-statement has the following flaws:-
1. And then however it happened, starting from a salary of Rs. 1800 after graduation, I eventually became the Founding Director of Hi-Tech Business Machines at the age of twenty-four and few years later its Chief Executive. This company was the first IBM dealer in Pakistan and it later re-launched Compaq in the country as well. With offices in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad it employed 100 personnel which were to increase to 250 over the years.
2. Coming back to raising capital, a classmate from Cathedral, a PIA captain, had approached me several times in the past to make PODF which stands for Pilots Occupational Disability Fund and which is the financial arm of PALPA as my partner but I had refused each time I had personal reasons.
3.My elder brother is a PIA captain and an ex-air force officer. And I had walked out on him several years ago, the reasons for which I have so far refused to publically discuss in spite of much provocation by the NAB officers I always told them to ask my brother instead
4. The terms of the new partnership were unconventional but I was willing to go to any extent to see my dream come true. PALPA did not pay me for my fifty percent equity in Hilinks that I passed on to them but it did not matter to me,
5. PALPA also refused to pay me salary for the next two years as the Chief Executive for the entire period of our partnership. It is therefore no wonder that having put everything in a group that I believed in, including the proceeds from the sale of my thousand yard house in Defence Society, into a business that I had nurtured for eighteen years I was bound to become penniless and homeless soon after
6. The PALPA board came up for elections every two years. And this time, a very senior captain named B was not sure whether he would be able to win or not. He had been elected a few times in the past and now wanted a last stint as President before he retired but he was not confident about winning this time around since he had just been acquitted from a rape case But there was good news as well. The entire country was excited about the accountability initiative in Pakistan and:
a. The Chairman NAB was Captain Bs personal friend,
b. While the Vice Chairman was my brothers colleague from Air Force.
5. My brother and Captain B declared in front of the PIA captain community that the current trustees of PODF ( serving captains) were embezzling huge amounts of money from the Group along with me and that they had solid evidence.
6. I yet kept on challenging them and once at a juncture of extreme frustration, they even opened a new and completely un-related case against me and my wife since she was also a director in the companies.
After reading it one could gather 2 & 2 makes four. your brother holding a post in PIA, you were given chance to take a gliding rool they were your winch. You forgot that glider only fly in thermals and thermals only available for a few minutes.
Problems and Political Parties of Pakistan
I have been watching very closely the political developments in the country with particular reference to the role of Political Parties of Pakistan. I have compiled my observations & purposeless in the larger interest of the country as well as promoter of liberal democratic process in the country through Political Parties of Pakistan. Those observations and purposeless are sent here with for your perusal.
Due to domination and control of opportunists, hypocrites, and power as well as money hunger persons in Pakistani politics, public are seriously hit by administrative victimization and judicial injustice along with economical disaster and social polarization.
The previous political parties governments could not solve the basic and genuine problems of the public by failing to prove stable socio-economical atmosphere along with administrative and judicial justice. The present government has also failed due to lack of politically energetic, intellectually effective and publicly well respected personalities, to meet the problems either at International and National level or even at Provincial and local level.
It is the need of time that the “Political Parties of Pakistan should be organized properly by considering the necessity of Cadres at Union Council, Taluka and District as well as Provincial and National level. These “cadres” should include persons:
(a) Those possess intellectual wisdom to prepare proper plans and programs.
(b) Those have organizational skill to organize and systematize the party.
(c) Those are socially well respected among the masses and capable to guide the public.
(d) Those can donate or manage economical resources for the need of party requirements.
At the same time, as pubic is too much disappointed, dissatisfied and disillusioned from politicians, because of that, it is in the best interest of Pakistan and Political Parties of Pakistan that the trust of public has regained by political aptitude, competency, ethics, principles and sincerity. Other wise there is no hope of change in prevailing political culture and none of the political government will be able to redress economical disaster, social polarization, administrative victimization and judicial injustice.
Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity. [3:104]
For each (such person) there are (angels) in succession, before and behind him: They guard him by command of God. Verily never will God change the condition of a people until they change it themselves But when (once) God willeth a people’s punishment, there can be no turning it back, nor will they find, besides Him, any to protect. [13:11]
The blame is only against those who oppress men and wrong-doing and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the land, defying right and justice: for such there will be a penalty grievous. [42:42]
It is He Who hath made you (His) agents, inheritors of the earth: He hath raised you in ranks, some above others: that He may try you in the gifts He hath given you: for thy Lord is quick in punishment: yet He is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. [6:165]
To all are degrees (or ranks) according to their deeds: for thy Lord is not unmindful of anything that they do. [6:132]
Say: “O God! Lord of Power (And Rule), Thou givest power to whom Thou pleasest, and Thou strippest off power from whom Thou pleasest: Thou enduest with honour hom Thou pleasest, and Thou bringest low whom Thou pleasest: In Thy hand is all good. Verily, over all things Thou hast power. [3:26]
Fulfil the Covenant of Allah when ye have entered into it, and break not your oaths after ye have confirmed them; indeed ye have made Allah your surety; for Allah knoweth all that ye do. [16:91]
These are the Signs of God: We rehearse them to thee in Truth: And God means no injustice to any of His creatures.[3:108]
Dr.Masood Tariq Arain
Hyderabad,pakistan
Amer Nazir Sahab
I am one of ex employee of Hilinks. Your probably would not have heard my name but I used to work with Adnan Jalil. Thanks for sharing your story regardless of I as an ex-employee believe in it or not but I would like to add that fall of Hilinks was not only due to mentioned reasons but also poor management and power abuse of few which screwed the entire e-Tech group. It’s not relevant to give their names on a public while many of us know how it all happened.
Thanks
Finally! came to know ‘whatever happened to Amer Nazir’.
Just wondering, you might also be ‘Brigadier Abassi’ for few through your journey from Kashif Centre tiny showroom…in your williness to go to any extent to see your dream come true.
MK
Canada
Amer Nazir sahab
This might sound callous but why would you take an investment from PODF? I am not saying that what the NAB did was right – it obviouly was wrong but I think you showed bad judgment on a few occasions. This story has one too many complications. I still wish you the best of luck.
One needs patience in assessing matters involving the infringement of law unless you want to act like Mush, as a spoilt child.
From my experience of FIA and highest Govt jobs, Prima facie, I think the Jurisdiction issue deserves detailed examination.So let Amer complete his story and then those of us who know law/ NAB law will be in a position to give honest opinion. If you follow Mush’ standards, Sharifs/ BB are ‘corrupt’ while the wheel-dealers of Gujrat etc are exempt from the mischief of NAB law. He sacked Gen Amjad, the honest but naive first Chairman, to accomodate the Gujrat mafia for political gains.
Ilyas shb,
Initialy, for the first year NAB refused to give any written documents… but eventually they became careless…
It was not NAB’s jurisdiction since no public, government or even bank funds were involved. It was a dispute between two private parties…and NAB tried to force me to sell my shares to PODF at a cheap price – which is definately not in NAB’s jurisdiction…
Amer Nazir
Well reading your side of story and i take is at true our nation has lost many contributors to the development with no recognition and corruption.I have no doubt that leaving a few exception the administration machinary is not only corrupt they are in compitant and naive having a tuneel vision passing days on adhocism and maintaing the faulty status quo,which is unfortunate.Fallowing is a open letter i sent to DG CAA ofcourse to blind eyes and deaf ears,this would reflect the status of Pakistan and support your story
I may introduce myself, My name is Major ® Shaukat Parekh, I was the pioneer to start state-of-art institute in general aviation namely Pakistan Aviators and Aviation Lahore from scratch to finish with personal investment. I was victimized by the so-called Red Tape and forced to wind up taking looses over a million dollars. Every thing is available on CAA record. I was made and channalized to bribe right from licensing, to deputy DG to DG CAA and MOD on one side and ASF on the other, I was made to run from pillar to post to get a Training License which I deserved and I stood top on merit until I was forced to sell to BHOJA AIR. Surprisingly the training license was issued to the prospective buyer in the name of my institution. I owned that to prior sale without my knowledge. Being disappointed and disgusted I migrated from Pakistan and now I reside in CANADA. General Aviation community is quite aware of these the facts of mine, wherever I have used word I (means I and my team of aviators from public who gave me tremendous support).
Anyway after going through the present Draft I am happy that at least some realization is there and policy in draft form is at least there, I have following suggestions to make:
1. Aviation being a thorough professional unforgiving field should be handled only by competitive professionals having a know-how of civil aviation.
2. Non-interference in running the affairs of CAA by the Govts unrelated bureaucracy.
3. Import of type category of General aviation aircraft should be liberalized by publishing in form of a list and not NOCS etc
4.One window handling should be incorporated at level of CAA. To avoid corruption, minimum contacts with applicants are adviseable, as long as an applicant or an OPERATOR MEETS THE LAID OUT PARAMETERS. Process should flow smooth.
5. Aviation is a costly affair; therefore unnecessary delays in processing and holding file should be accountable.
6. Aside from spares, fuel for General aviation should be subsidized to keep aircraft flying
7. Private flying training institute should be treated equal to flying clubs (equal privileges and restrictions).
8. The concept of FITS Peshawar has failed; as such training of instructors should be decentralized.
9. CAA is a regulatory body and should do so nothing beyond.
10. Encourage private sectors and entrepreneurs in the field of aviation
11. Sport flying and parachuting should be encouraged.
12. CAA should regulate maximum free air space and revise old aged restricted airspace.
13. CAA should strike a balance with ASF in restrictions to aviators in the name of security.
14. The school upon getting NOCs should be curtailed to only one, we need to make concept simple and operator friendly as huge life long investment are needed to initiate a aviation business.
15. Officiers and inspectors of CAA and other regulatory bodies should be forbidden under discipline to expect or accept rewards, parties, employment recommendations, requests or VIP receptions from operators. The contact should strictly be limited to profession and nothing more.
Thanking You
SHAUKAT PAREKH
NIAGARAFALLS
CANADA
I agree the story is sad, but gentleman you must have realized by now that there are no free lunches in this world. For high dreams, you may have to pay high and rising steeply always has a great risk of sudden falls. Just go through comments of one of employees of Hilinks above and it will be made clear that there are always 2 sides of the story.
something wrong must have been there, otherwise why didn’t NAB pick all the Pakistani Nation. Review yourself.
Despite above, I wish goodluck to you.
Hi Mr. Amer
You must remember me, I am the person who developed for you, all your major applications, I am the person who built for you the shopping cart and prepaid card system, for which you are feeling so proud.
I am the person who made half of the major applications which were running on the Hilinks portal alone, like the most famous Reuter news exchange (all segments), ISP billing system which was later connected with my created shopping cart.
This was initially supposed to be built for Citibank, but your incompetent management team (which mostly consists of your cousins and friends relatives) was denied so you launched it on your own. I launched your inventory system software through which your e-tech company used to manage their inventories among your different city stations.
Alone, I did a great number of projects which I can bet no other person has completed and launched in Hilinks. There were quite a few sleepless nights that I have spent in that office, without any sort of compensation.
After all was said and done, I resigned from your company under the following circumstances: 3 months salary was due to be given to me but you refused to pay claiming that once I had resigned, I would be paid in full. Of course, this never happened and I received my payment another 3 months late, and not in full. This was my earned salary, God knows what would have happened if I had asked for compensation for extra hours worked, never mind acknowledging my contribution to the company.
Remember Bro, There is a GOD, on which people of your class dont believe as such. You are facing what you have done to others, how come you consider yourself innocent.
You were charged for fraud of approximately 8 crore Pakistani rupees of PODF (the company who sponsored the e-tech group) and you and your friends are part of this show. For example, dont you remember the Cuban cigars for Rs. 45,000 alone from the companys expense account when you went to visit Sharjah on a “business trip?
You still think you are innocent?
Yours Sincerely
Sharjeel, I think I remember you, and if I am not mistaken in my remeberence,you were one of the finest professionals we had on board. Of course you did contribute tremendously, more than quite a few amongst the 250 of us… however, if you think you were the only one then I suggest that you do it all over again since the country needs it badly… please do it and show the world your mentle…
However, I do not recall your ever resigning from the Group, I think you stayed with us till the very end untill we all went down and the Pilots refused to give anyone the three months salary… including my salary for two years…
Please remind me if I ever employed any cousins and relatives in 18 years – though there is no harm in it… and friends yes… that was my perogative and judgement. If I remember correctly I employed some of your friends as well on your recomendation since they were good software engineers (although you were with us for the last 2-3 years only…) and since you guys do operate in bunches…
Thanks for telling me about the 8 crores – this is the first time a figure has ever been quoted. At least it is a substantial figure – anything less would have been a shame and it would seem as I have suffered so much for so less… But by the way, I was never charged. However, I strongly suggest that you report this to NAB who investigated me for three years to try and charge me but could not… come on bro, give them the evidence and I will court arrest… do this country a favour instead of NATO – that is, No Action Talk Only… there are quite a few of those in our country already… Ok, forget evidence, just pinpoint that 8 crores are missing or unaccounted for… fair deal…? Now do it if you are worth your salt…
And bro, this is a problem with our country, we accuse relentlessly, we take our pound of flesh even if we have to lie since the ‘guy’ is out and down… for after all you never dared come up with all these suggestions before now did you – no you didnt, you waited for now…
Cigars… yes. I love cigars but not from the company accounts – otherwise no audit would have passsed it – and NAB would have crusified me… still, there is a chance, it is not late, report this to NAB so that they can publish this evidence in reply to my allegations against them…
And bro…God… yes… but what makes you think that it is already the end… that what you see is the ultimate conclusion… who knows Divine Justice may still come… you speak too soon..
I hope this doesnt happen to you and if it does believe me there will be many to dis-credit you for all the wrong reasons… as for me, I await further punishment if I am wrong, if I am also a Munafiq… for bro, God is out there…
And lastly, I could not keep everyone happy – I managed a business group and not a democracy. I was running a business that I had started and nourished for eighteen years and was not there for a popularity contest. I employed thousands of people in my career and made mistakes as well… There were also bad management incidences but yet what we achieved yet remains unmatched in Pakistan…
All the best to you… you have a tremendous future since you can do all that you have said you can all on your own… one wonders what is stopping you… come on show the world, prove me wrong, for otherwise if you are still at the same level that you were in my time then you have a problem…
Amer Nazir
Hi Mr. Amer
Its really painful to face the truth; no body is there to keep happy everyone.
You had a team of professionals over there that covers you all the time.
Come one its a really childish game to hiding the truth and proves in Pakistan.
Hire a chartered account on good salary he will find out for you, many ways to cover personal expenses in company expense and even it will be difficult to proof for an auditors as well. NAB never able to prove any thing about any political leader (whom done a lot more things) how could they find about you.
I dont have time to waste, because it will not bring any fortune to me. The propose of that posting is to tell other people that you are not that good as you were mentioned in your story and the thing you are facing , you were somehow part of it.
GOD has its own way of justice. I would just like to pray for you that GOD bless you and save you if you are that much innocent as you mentioned in your story.
Take care,
Hi Mr. Amer
Its really painful to face the truth; no body is there to keep happy everyone.
Its easy to say and write good thing about your owns self.
I dont have time to waste, because it will not bring any fortune to me. The propose of that posting is to tell other people that you are might not that nice as you were mentioned in your story and the problem you are facing , some how you were part of that show.
One must wonder if there was not money thing over there why PODF involve NAB and why were you name in exit control list, even you are not a politician. Even NAB won’t take these steps for just few hundred thousand rupees .
Its a really open game to hiding the truth and proves in Pakistan. Hire a chartered account on good salary he will find out for you, many ways to cover personal expenses in company expense and even it will be difficult to proof for auditors as well. NAB never able to prove many thing about any political leader (whom done a lot more things) how could they find out anything about you.
GOD has its own way of justice.I would just like to pray for you that GOD bless you and save you if you are that much innocent as you mentioned in your long story.
Take care,
Sharjeel, you cant walk away now bro, you did take ten minutes out of your life to call me Godless, a common thief and someone who deserves what he is getting… now you dont want to see it through, and want to leave the readers by setting into motion vague and blanket doubts… Come on bro, see it through, take out some time…
When I write a single word on the www I do it with two things in mind. Firstly, I am mortal but the words I write will stay even after I am gone – and the same is good for you as well… Secondly, I have to be ready to face the consequences of what I write. And same should go for you, resist from writing things that you cannot see through to the end…
You lied when you said you resigned from the Group. You lied when you said I am Godless who do you think has carried me through and against such ruthless and powerful adversaries… you mention cigars, and I will now tell you something which I had thought I will never write on the www and demean myself… but I have decided to do it now, once I came to London, at times I had to stay hungry for two days, I did not have warm clothes for winters… but I faced it with my head high just as I faced the NAB goons with my head high… I went through the humiliation of asylum but I went with my head high and commanded respect and sympathy there as well, the best under the circumstances of course… and you know what, if I ever make money again I will buy my cigars once again and enjoy them to the full… I have worked and played hard in my life and there are no apologies…
What you may or may not know is that I have financially supported families for eighteen years, paid for the brain-tumour surgery of the employees child even in hard times, I have paid employees salaries for years who could not attend work due to accidents and sickness, I have helped them with buying properties, most of my employees have moved only higher in their career… and you know what, some of them may even be reading these posts…. but the way our society is, people dont stand up for victims of misfortune they only come to cast the last stone…
Your knowledge of accounts, finance and law is apparently very limited. You have lied when you say that I was charged with a fraud of 80 million…. do not hoodwink the readers further whatever may be your design since I was never charged with even ten rupees of fraud… and hence these NAB diaries…
And bro I am not a politician, it would take a magician to hide 80 million of unaccounted money in a group with paid up capital of 60 million and total capitalization of just over 200 million take hold of some common sense bro. The problem with you guys is that you give out blanket statements but are not competent enough to substantiate them just like the NAB goons. Therefore, since they could also not prove any guilt or crime, I was burdened to prove my innocence instead and which I did and that is why I am sitting in London and challenging NAB to justify what they did…
Now listen carefully, use some common sense and decency, and follow up these clues on your own, walk your talk… firstly, we had internal audits, then we had external auditors namely Khalid Hashmi, and Riaz Ahmed and company. On top of that we had external third party auditors Ferguson and Associates since they are the top auditors in Pakistan and were at the time the auditors of PALPA and PODF as well. To take it even further, PALPA subsequently paid NAB two million rupees to hold a yet another audit … for they did whatever they could to nail me but unlike you they had the decency to not ever quote a figure to me…
Interestingly, to add to this, PALPA also came up with some sensational stories in their charge sheet which they submitted to NAB such as once I paid my wife 5 million out of the company accounts to go shopping… same as your cigar theory… NAB and PALPA refused to hand over the charge sheet to me, but it was leaked by other pilots and if you remember we had put it on the net with explanations… dont forget that all the accusations were criminal offenses and easy to prove… for bro, you may not know that to take out money from a bank … one needs a cheque, a signature, and more than anything else a missing 5 million… same as the damn cigars… for even you will agree that 99% of all our business was through cheques and which needed counter-signing since you were the one who designed and implemented it if your claims are to be believed…
What else you may not know is how I slapped PALPA and NAB… I took the PALPA charge sheet, on the basis of which NAB had interceded in the case…. and filed it in the courts of Karachi and Lahore as evidence for my cases of defamation and recovery amounting to quite a few hundred million against the PIA captains….
And if you still think that there is a magician chartered accountant who can hide misappropriation of 80 million from amongst 200 million then help you God… stop this slander and give the devil its due, have some respect for such artistry. Or else, get up like a man and go to NAB today… I suspect they will take you into one of their small little rooms and thrash the daylights out of you for trying to open this Pandoras box over which they have been desperately trying to keep a lid… and this is why the NAB Dairies…
And lastly bro, I am nothing now, a 48 year old man trying to seek truth and justice, getting into and out of small time employments but back then, a few years ago, I was good, I was very good at what I did… By God I was good… proof: look at your post, add all that you claim you did singlehandedly from my Groups platform, evaluate the results…. and see if anyone else has ever achieved it in Pakistan in the time frame and the time that we did …
Bro there is a God but I dont know what your god is like… Cheers.
Dear Kass,
I waited for the diaries to finish before replying to you…firstly I have taken punishments since I have made mistakes in life but I am not willing to take punishment for the crimes I have not committed…
One of the point of the NAB Dairies is that NAB does not need anything concrete to pick anyone – if they are not picking up the entire nation it may be since it is an unpractical thing to do…
Another point is that the NAB platform is used to settle personal scores and which is the case in my instance – which General Bukshi also declared in front of me and Brigadier Abassi – but since he is a General and hence not man enough,he will not admit it today. As for Abassi, he will do anything to keep his rank…
In short, it was me because of personal enmity by the PIA captains…
Tell you what MK, learn from my situation, tell people not to go to any extent at all to follow their dreams… the economy will be great and there will not be any trouble in this world… in fact, if anyone is making progress, tell them to stop at once…cheers.
Again Mr. Amer, I would suggest you to review yourself. After Adnan Siddiqui, another employee Mr. Sharjeel is also on board now trying to remind you of your wrongdoings.
There might be some good on your part, but its high time to review yourself and address your issues. You rose from grass root, grew fast and tried to touch the sky but forgot that sky was too far.
Secondly, I’ve noticed that you have a strong ego and dislike facing realities of life.
regards
Dear Adnan, I do remember you vaguely since if I am correct you were there only for the last few months – though I may be wrong in terms of the time period…
I agree, there were serious management problems, some I knew and ignored since we had to achieve what we did in two years – the plan was to ignore and achieve the best we could because of the PIA captain’s pressure to focus on the results only… there was no way we could have addressed all the issues before the right time… or open new issues that we could live with for the time being…
I had to do with the resources and constraints available to us but Adnan, we did not close down because of operational or strategic issues, we closed down because of the PIA captains and NAB…
Amer Sahab,
No I stayed for two years and yes till end. Offcourse I was not aware about “non-technical” reasons which you mentioned. All I am talking about “In-house” problems due to mismanagement and unnecessary posts which were introduced in 2001 which made things quite disturbed. We didn’t have so many projects that you hired a brigade of marketing people who did nothing at all. Shopping cart system which Sharjeel claimed that he made it, was not properly advertised and launched. Now you can’t blame PODF Chairman or PALPA for such things. They were investors and you were the executor. You failed to execute things properly and it made PALPA guys pissed and they stopped feeding e-tech group anymore. It’s common practice that Investors only feel if they find any hope of returns otherwise they walk away. Same happened with e-tech group as well. Now why did they make NAB case, I don’t get it at all and you have some valid points about that but fall of e-tech can’t be blamed to PALPA or PODF only.
p.s: And I will always wonder how hi-net ISP got failed while it had become real threat for Cybernet at that time. Was it not true that hi-Net was being sold to Cybernet at that time?
Adnan,
It is not true that Hinet was being sold to Cybernet. This is the first time I have heard this. However, do keep in mind that PODF had majority holding in Hinet and they may have been doing something of which I am not aware…
It is also not true that PODF was the investor and I the executor. The investor in the sense you are putting it is not a part of management. E-Tech was run by a board of directors in which the PODF directors were in majority. All major decisions were taken by the board which was headed by the Chairman PODF. I as the Chief Executive reported to the board and the CFO and COOs reported to me as well as the board. It was because of their voting power that the PODF directors did not let me take a salary for two years…
The CFO was a PODF nominee and reported financial matters to the PODF directors independent of me… monthly reports were also submitted apart from the board meetings…
I started the group and invested crores of rupees in the business over a period of eighteen years. We were the top IBM dealers in Pakistan, had the largest Compaq share, the ISP was doing well, and a lot was done in two years. It was known to me that some of the personnel will not be up to mark and that we will burst at the seems due to rapid growth but it was acceptable to me since the speed to the market was important. The business plans needed 3-4 years before the organisation could be evaluated in terms of profitability and performance. The step to look at the HR factor in detail was to follow later once we had launched projects since we were making heavy investments and needed the products to be out there in the market so that we could meet our expenses asap.
I had been planning the e-card since years. Subsequently, Citibank found out and they came to see me in my office and offered a partnership. I agreed but found out months later that all Citibank was trying to do was to delay me so that they could launch the card on their own. And that is when I launched and that too within a week since we were already since long. While doing so, I got a tactical verbal agreement from the head of ANZ Grindlays card division and their technical head that they will partner us… Even otherwise it was a good decision since we co-branded the card with PIA and which was the largest co-branding in the country… we also had a nod from Mastercard International for being an example for the countries that did not have a payment gateway…
Because of this card, I was able to sign a multi-million dollar agreement with PIA. The agreement ensured that we will co-brand the PIA frequent traveller card with our e-card, (the implications of this any marketing person will tell you), sell PIA tickets worldwide through Hilinks with the e-card having debit and credit functions with participating banks, conduct the last minute auction of PIA cargo space and passenger seats, establish the PIA call centre etc etc.. It was a very big alliance and a presentation to the President was about to take place when PODF directors forced the group down… In case of Citibank, the only way they could earn revenue was by charging the customer directly for the card, while in our case the e-card was free and we would make money through the sale of products and services including the ISP & PIA services our business models were different…
The PIA agreement was signed by me and the COO PIA in front of the media with the blessing of the Chairman PIA and a presentation to Musharraf was planned for next month. It was then that the new PODF trustees said that I had to resign without getting any back salaries, and they then offered me a deal of purchasing half my shares or otherwise they said they will get me arrested by NAB. I reluctantly agreed and the deal was signed by me and the PODF trustees at Captain Sohail Tayabs residence.
However, subsequently the PODF trustees did not honour their commitment and threatened me to resign and said that they will not pay me for my shares as well. According to the new trustees they had foolproof evidence of embezzlement by the previous PODF trustees and myself and that the Chairman NAB had promised to recover the PODF investment anyway…
Subsequent to this many third parties offered to purchase my or the PODF shares including a previous Netsole partner who wanted to take the E-Tech group to Nasdeq… but all this was shot down since the PODF directors were in majority…
Finally, I will tell you one thing young man. I did what I had to do. I formed the group, I invested crores of rupees, I did everything I could and everything was taken away, I was left penniless and accused… I know you are hurt but what about me, I invested my life in that group, can you imagine how it hurts… in the beginning I was quiet, I let NAB find out my guilt… but subsequently, once they declared me as an innocent, then what about all my investment that the PIA captains have taken in their control… It is they who have stolen from me, I gave them enough chance to find me guilty… By the way, this is what is unofficially admitted by NAB itself…
In the end, I have made mistakes as well, but I have done what I thought was right. Ironically, one of the objections PODF had was that I paid the employees more than the market rate… and the decision not to pay the employees salaries for the last three months was a PODF board decision and is there in writing…
Some of you will pass judgements… some can only pass judgements… but I did it… and I did it at personal cost and expense… now, those who have destroyed my life time achievement and investment should answer… and it is not only me, but also the six hundred PIA captains whose investment has been destroyed by a handful of PALPA members…
In order to ensure investments for the group, I had given away 50% shares of Hilinks free to PODF on the condition that I had invested in the company as much as I could and that they would now invest further… I did take an amount to sell them the 50% Hitech equity but re-invested that amount as cash into Hinet the next day to purcahse 33% equity of Hinet. In other words, all my investment went down with the Group…
This matter is more than judging HR policies and raising employee issues… yet I will be more than happy to answer any other misinformation that must have been passed on to you…
Amer Sb,
as I already said that I would not find myself credible enough to discuss your NAB related issues. Thanks for giving us a chance to hear about the things been happening with you.
As you said you have been released by NAB, what are your plans now? will you revive e-Tech group again in Pakistan or any other IT business or would prefer to stay in UK?
Also, I don’t know what happened with THAT building of e-tech group. is it sold out or still being controlled by PODF?
Adnan,
Thanks for hearing me out…
But a final argument from my side to clear the situation…
Suppose you had invested 200 million of your
personal money into the E-Tech Group and were partners with me – what would you do if there was a dispute between you and me…either you will try to buy me out or else let me buy you out(which I tried with the help of other people)… alternately, we would have applied for liquidation… This is the only way to save the investment and even avoid further litigations from third parties…
But this is not what the PIA pilots did – they forced the group down saying that the money will be recovered by NAB. It was the most absurd and stupid thing to do of which only the Pilots are capable of while I tried till the very end to save the group and my investment…
The above happened due to several reasons. Firstly, the pilots are not known for their intelligence and wisdom perhaps as a result of continously flying against gravity… secondly, Captain Bucha who was in control of the pilots at that time had nothing personally to lose since he was retiring in a years time anyway… moreover, 200 million when distributed over 600 captains is probably their one week salary only… hence the pilots did what they know best… the only thing that they know and which is obey us or we go on strike…
Bucha had won elections against the previous trustees on the basis of a cheap political slogan and that he had evidence of embezelment and that Lt General Munir Hafeez had promised to recover all the money – that I was stealing from my own company alongwith the trustees… he could not have gone back on his words and faced the wrath of the pilots for destroying their investment… In short, he used the services of Lt General Munir Hafeez ( NAB did not have any jurisdiction) and made a scape goat…i.e me…
Now coming back to you… if you were the partner would you not have tried to save the investment…? or would you have shut of an excellent running ISP,taken down the portal, shut of an eighteen year old hardware company, left millions worth of equipment at the PIA offices which the PIA managers probaly stole, not recover millions from the dealers and customers,let the office owners in different cities who were not paid rent to take home millions worth of equipment, and instead had gone to NAB and asked them to fix up their partner with accusations of cooked-up embezelment? Do you think you would have done it…? Would anybody in their right minds would have done that… committed a financial suicide… and yet even now, the pilots are still trying to keep up the charade… they are dishonourable and they are finacial cheats is all that one can say…
The building was not owned by us but we had invested millions in that building – some of the captains sold all the assets within the building to each other at probably a cost of 4 lacs as far as I have been told… and believe me they will be made answerable one way or another for this as well… they have also used the ISP equipment in other ways… I am not going to let them eat up my eighteen years investment so easily…
NAB also crossed all limits, when they could not find a crime, in order to keep a lid over things they tried to get Al Capone one way or another and initiated totally different false cases against me… and then one day, they decided to let me go… on the condition that I will never make any financial claims… And I thought that NAB knew the game well… that they had heard of Shun Zu – the art of war…
And finally, there have been many insinuations from the ex-E-Tech Group employees. And now I will have my say. I dont know why but the people whom I trusted the most, the people who were with me for years and years were the first to cast a stone on me. Those who were the most rewarded by the group were the ones who tried to steel from the group taking advantage of the confusion… I do plan to write the diaries of a failed Pakistani enterpreneur and reveal all very soon…
Someone once told me a saying of Prophet Ali – that be vary of the people on whom you do favours..
At this time, I have different options. There are publishing offers as well… Although, I have lost all reputation by now… I was never known to leave a friend or an enemy… so I have work to do in that direction as well…
Truth as we know is the most elusive thing in the world… I may not be a very nice person – but I intend to do one thing at least… my father taught me never to lie no matter what the consequences…and it is to this that I dedicate the rest of my life…
Amer Sb,
All I can say that God bless you and things go well with you. If you are right at your place then no one will be able to harm you.
Once again for pouring out everything which we ex-employees didn’t know.
Dear Amir Sahib,
Thanks God that after a long time we are able to listen your comment about E-tech disaster, you must recognize me that I was the Art director in your Advertising company, we had initially some good time but after when you have gathered by some hopeless executives around you never take me seriously, as we all was telling you that the marketing people are not doing their work and as you know except hi- net we was not earning any penny in 1.5 years. So how you was assuming the PODF will pour some money just for nothing. It was just a disaster from the executive side from all the departments.
Unfortunately you were having very loyal workers who worked with you without pay for three months. I think it was your attitude that you always gave respect for alls. I wish to meet you take care Salam to Bhabhi
Such a joy to hear from you Riaz shb… hope you and familly are well…
It is not true that we were not making money in other companies… Hi-Tech alone received 10 million in after sales support for instance… in two years time we were already meeting 60% of our expenses which was great…one has to wait for 3-4 years to start recovering with new projects… the PIA contract alone could have brought back all the investment in even one year…
As for the executives, more in the next diaries…
Investments were being made according to business plans approved in board meetings, and PODF was not interested to bring other financiers as it wanted to retain its holding…
Investing or not investing was purely the PODF decision but going to NAB and filing false criminal reports and insisting on not slavaging the business does not have any excuse… we had the PriceWaterHouse report and other third party consultants that gave in writting that our value had increased five fold… more than that no where was it commited that the group will start earning tons of money within two years… The investment understandings are also there in writting from which the new PODF board defaulted… It was a big project that needed further investments and there is no defined deliverable on which I failed or defaulted to be persecuted like this…
If all the committed investmnets ( which PODF had committed )had been made as per promise then it would have been another story now… if you stop a project mid way… all you can see in its wake is disaster and wastage… please dont forget what the project would have looked like now if the investments had been made…
I respect you guys to have stayed for three months without a salary – you know I tried my best…
Cheers.
Amer Sahib,
Thanks for your reply and remember me, as I know that I am still a great fan of your always optimistic personality.
I joined you from very beginning, from the day one I saw you that your vision was very clear and you wanted to saw your company as a one of the best IT group in Pakistan., and there was a time when it seems that you will get it your direction right, your efforts were tremendous but I think you mistaken to evaluate your executives. They didnt have the experience to how to consolidate the new born baby. They were just inexperienced for that type of circumstances.
You are right that every project needs some time and money and you were short in both, every month before the salary we all waits for signal from the PODF, this attitude gave the insecurity from top to bottom and most of the people were not pessimistic about the project, and you know this kind of attitude not good for any project.
From the day one the PODF sword was on your head and most of the time you were busy with the financial matters with your partner and their politic, although this type of company need your input in every sectors or you have some serious colleague which you dont had.
As you know in the last month of Hi-Links I migrated for Canada so couldnt saw you. I am still in Canada If I can do any thing for you dont be hesitate. Keep in touch.
Riaz sahib you are a good man – you always were…
Inshallah we will meet soon – pray that I can attend to my unfinished business…
Take care…
Dear Amir,
R u still in the UK? hope u remember me last time we met in Waqar's office we were working on that LDA funding.