The rise of 'Rental Raja' | World | bdnews24.

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12/15/12 11:47 PM

The rise of 'Rental Raja' | World | bdnews24.com

Dhaka, Jun 22 (bdnews24.com) An accused of receiving kickback in a rental power project during his term as the water and power minister, Raja Parvez Ashraf is going to be the 25th Prime Minister of Pakistan. Ashraf, a unanimously agreed candidate of the PPP and its coalition partners, received 211 votes while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Sharif's (PML-N) candidate Sardar Mehtab Abbasi received 89 votes in Parliament on Friday. The Rawalpindi-2 constituency MP Raja Ashraf is popularly known as 'Rental Raja' to the most of the Pakistanis and is steeped in controversy. Currently fighting a corruption case from his three-year tenure as water and power minister that ended in Feb 211, he has also been blamed for much of the government's inability to resolve a disastrous energy crisis. He has also been accused of buying foreign property from illegal money.
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The rise of 'Rental Raja' | World | bdnews24.com

12/15/12 11:47 PM

The Supreme Court declared him involved in the rental power project scam and revoked his power as the minister for water and power. However, when the federal cabinet expanded, he was given the Ministry of Information and Technology. According to the Washington Post, the choice of Ashraf "seemed to guarantee continued political turmoil". It said he is "associated with a persistent energy crisis that has crippled the country with blackouts, water shortages and steep increases in the price of fuel". Ashraf, as energy minister 20082011, was also mired in a corruption scandal involving private leases of power plants, the Post said. "My main task will be to end the power crisis. I hope we will soon find a way," he said after winning the elections. Pakistani star cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif objected after Pakistan People's Party (PPP) nominated Ashraf to replace the ousted Prime Minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani. According to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Raja Ashraf was not qualified for the Prime Minister's post while Imran Khan said Raja's nomination was similar to deceiving people. Born on December 26, 1950 in Sanghar, Sindh, Raja Pervaiz
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The rise of 'Rental Raja' | World | bdnews24.com

12/15/12 11:47 PM

Ashraf has been elected twice as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from his constituency of Gujar Khan, , Rawalpindi. Ashraf received an undergraduate degree from University of Sindh in 1970. He hails from a family of agriculturists and that remained his occupation until he joined center-left PPP, and made Gujar Khan his new home. Ashraf is a member of many committees in the National Assembly, including the Standing Committee on Kashmir and the Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights, according to the elections.com.pk website. Currently the PPP secretary general, Ashraf has travelled to Saudi Arabia, Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, the UAE, China, Belgium and North Korea on official tours. After the official disqualification of Gilani on June 19, the allied parties nominated Qamar Zaman Kaira, Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Chaudhry Mukhtar Ahmed and Ashraf for the position of PM. However, the allied parties unanimously nominated Ashraf although he did not topped President Asif Ali Zardari choice for the post.
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The rise of 'Rental Raja' | World | bdnews24.com

12/15/12 11:47 PM

Following the issuance of arrest warrants for their first nominee Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Ashraf had emerged as the main coalition's preferred candidate a controversial choice, many say. bdnews24.com/corr/mi/shs/bd/2310h

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