SHC issues notices to Faryal, others in Rs90b corruption case

Naimat Khan

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court(SHC) on Wednesday issued notices to Faryal Talpur, sister of former President Asif Ali Zardari, in corruption case of Rs90 billion while restoring an old application against the PPP woman leader.

An applicant had filed an application alleging that Faryal Talpur, Ayaz Soomro and others had done a corruption of Rs90 billion in different projects of Larkana.

The applicant submitted before the court that he had taken back his application after threats to his family and now when he has shifted his family to a safe place his application should be restored in public interest.

The court while restoring application directed Faryal Talpur, Ayaz Soomro, Shafqat Soomro and Chief Secretary to submit reply in the case by February 22.

Faryal Talpur begun her political career in 1990s. She ran for the seat of National Assembly of Pakistan on Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) ticket from Nawabshah constituency (NA-160) in Pakistani general election, 1997 for the first time, but lost the electionto the Pakistan Muslim League (N). In 2001, she became the Nazim of district Nawabshah in local government elections. In 2005 local government elections, she was re-elected as the mayor of Nawabshah.

After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007, she became legal guardian of children of Bhutto; Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and custodian of property of Bhutto in Larkana.

In 2007, Talpur was considered to become a candidate of PPP for the post of President of Pakistan.

Due to mayor ship of Nawabshah, she was not given a ticket by PPP to run in Pakistani general election, 2008. However later in by-elections, she was allotted a ticket by PPP to run for the seat of National Assembly home constituency of Bhutto in constituency NA-207 (Larkana-cum-Shikarpur-cum-Kambar Shehdadkot where election was postponed due to death of Bhutto. She won in the by-elections and became member of the National Assembly for the first time.

She was the central president of the women wing of PPP but reportedly she looked after almost all affairs of the PPP According to a WikiLeaks diplomatic cables leak in 2009, fearing attempts on his life, then President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari told then US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson that in the event he was assassinated, he had instructed his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to appoint Talpur as President of Pakistan.