Rehman Malik (Urdu: رحمان ملک ) (born 12 December, 1951) is Pakistani absconder civil servent, senator, alleged MI6/FBI asset, and the current Interior Minister of Pakistan. Under the Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani administration. He was upgraded to latter position from Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Affairs and Narcotics Control after he was elected in the Senate of Pakistan. He took the oath as the federal minister on 27 April, 2009. He has been the interior adviser since 27 March, 2008.
Malik is a former FIA officer who rose to head the Federal Investigation Agency during Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s second tenure. He later joined the Pakistan Peoples Party and was the trusted lieutenant and chief security officer (CSO) of Benazir Bhutto.
Early Life
Rehman Malik was born in Sialkot, Pakistan on 12 December, 1951 in a family of barbers. He got his secondary and intermediate education from Sialkot and did his masters from University of Karachi. His website claims that he also holds an MSc in Statistics and PhD in Criminology.1 Recently a government website also claimed that he holds these degrees.2 However, neither this information was given at the time of his appointment as Advisor to Prime Minister nor is there any record of him ever enrolling in any Pakistani university.
Career
Pakistani columnist Anjum Niaz’s wrote in his article in Dawn newspaper:
“Malik rose to dizzying heights from a lowly grade 13 or 14 [in Pakistan, officer grade starts at Grade 17] officer. Stories of Malik trying to worm his way through by bribing his seniors are still fresh in our minds. Come promotion time, he’d turn up at their homes with trays laden with designer suits. By golly, it worked!”
Rehman Malik had started his career as an immigration officer and became the top-man in the Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) in the mid 90’s. During 26 years of active service as an officer of Federal Investigation Agency, he has held the post of Additional Director General of FIA besides heading various regional offices of the department such as Crime Zone Peshawar, Immigration, Interpol and National Security Cell. He had been associated with anti-terrorism and anti-money launching operations of FIA which have earned for him recognition by the international law enforcement community. He was bestowed with Sitara-e-Shujaat in 1995.
FIA Deputy Chief
Benazir Bhutto appointed Rehman Malik as the additional director-general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) which then launched a secret war against the Islamist elements in Pakistan, which amounted to a direct attack on the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The Pakistani military was equally dismayed by reports of FIA contacts with the Israeli secret service, the Mossad, to investigate Islamist terrorists. The FIA leadership under Bhutto also angered Taliban supporters within the establishment, because they allowed the extradition of Ramzi Yousef to the US for trial on the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
One of the first acts of President Farooq Leghari after dismissing Benazir Bhutto on 5 November, 1996 was to imprison Ghulam Asghar, head of FIA, suspended on non specified corruption charges, and Rehman Malik, Addl. Director General FIA, was also arrested.
Accusation against Sharif and Assylum
In November 1998, Rahman Malik termed the termination of his service by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif an “act of retaliation” because of the 200-page report, which he had sent to then President Rafiq Tarar, disclosing large-scale corruption of Sharif family. Rahman Malik then fled to London and made corruption accusation against the Sharif brothers. He was soon given British nationality.
In London Rehman Malik started his security company Shaffaf Group in 2000, which specialized in providing intelligence to businesses (in other words he was openly selling Pakistani classified and security information to the highest bidder). Besides Shaffaf Group he started a number of other ventures, included the DM Digital Network with the head office at Manchester.
Oil for Food Scam in Iraq in 2005
Petroline FZC (registered in Sharjah) was part of the Bayoil network and was involved in the infamous United Nations oil-for-food scandal. Benazir Bhutto was the chairperson with 34% shares while Rehman Malik and Benazir Bhutto’s newphew Ibrahim Jaafry/Hasan Ali Jaafry were 33% owners each and directors in the company. According to the Volcker’s inquiry Petroline FZC traded $144m of Iraqi oil, and made $2m of illegal payments to Saddam Hussein’s regime. Through Petroline FZC, Saddam Hussain got over US$1.4 billion commission deposited in a Bank of Jordan branch.
President Musharraf’s amnesty dropping corruption charges against public officials only covers the period 1986-1999. The Petroline FZC transactions came after that, which means that in theory a charge is possible.3
Benazir’s trusted aide
Rehman Malik emerged as the deal broker in Benazir-Musharraf reconciliation talks in Abu Dhabi in July 2007, and replaced Makhdoom Amin Fahim as the most trusted political lieutenant of Benazir Bhutto. Fahim was Benazir’s aide since 2002, when he formed the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and acted as the leader of PPP in the absence of Benazir and her husband Asif Ali Zardari. It was also reported in The News that after Rehman Malik took over the role of top “adviser and broker” of Benazir on important matters ranging from politics to business, Fahim seemed to have become an “obsolete political commodity.”
Assassination of Benazir Bhutto
Rehman Malik was the person responsible for security of Benazir Bhutto. After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto there were many accusation against Rehman Malik for lax security and his absence from the scene. While some have also accused him of being a key player in the Benazir Bhutto assassination.
However, he was brought into the limelight for his past service to Asif Ali Zardari and PPP, and was made an adviser on interior affairs and narcotics control to the PPP Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, with the status of Federal Minister. He was later upgraded as Interior Minister of Pakistan.
Assets
Muhammad Sajjad Haider currently FIA’s Deputy Director is considered the right hand man of Rehman Malik inside FIA. He worked hand-in-hand with Rehman Malik in the cpature of Ramzi Yusuf and then against Mujahiddins in 1994-94.
Personal Wealth
Starting at assets of a couple of million dollars in 2007, Rehman Malik has increased his worth to a few billion rupees in two years of his ministership.
Family
He has one brother Khalid Malik who has become a “very” successful businessman in the recent years (from 2008 onwards).
Disclaimer: The views expressed by this Writer do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Pakistan Daily News
