Axact Scandal: Did Shoaib Shaikh work for Pakistani intelligence networks?
Dubai: There are many stories in main stream as well as social media about the rise and fall of Axact Group and about his owner Shoaib Shaikh.
Some journalists claim Shoaib is just a front man and behind is someone else who finances this project. This someone could be anyone including Dawood Ibrahim as claimed by Indian newspapers in past. Dawood Ibrahim is one of the most wanted man by Indian government that claimed he lives in Pakistan and operates against India.
One Urdu newspaper from Karachi—the port city where Axact had been working having its head office, claims Shoaib became one of the best hackers when he was in USA and he worked for some classified assignments and then he was picked by Pakistani intelligence agencies those brought him to Pakistan to work for country. This newspaper has not mentioned sources of its story but created an ambiguity and possible linkage of Shoaib with Pakistani intelligence agencies— the same claim Indian newspapers published in last quarter of year 2013.
This Pakistani Urdu newspaper also claims that intelligence agencies took their support off when Shoaib Shaikh started business of fake degrees. Newspaper further claims that Shoaib Shaikh became “uncontrolled” therefore his mentors departed from friendship.
“Abandoning an agent or a project and disowning an agent is normal in intelligence networking if agent or project is compromised or crosses limits set by the network”, commented a former intelligence official when he was asked to express his views over possible linkage of Shoaib with Pakistani intelligence agency.
Reports coming from Pakistan indicating personal relations of Shoaib with one of the former head of one of the intelligence network of Pakistan. This former head of intelligence agency earned attention of Pakistani media last year for designing campaign to throw sitting government of Pakistan Muslim League. If so, then one can understand unprecedented harsh action of FIA against Axact Group. However, nothing concrete has been exposed by Pakistani media so far in this case and only a bundle of allegations is piling up over Axact and Bol groups.
Reports coming from Pakistan suggest that Shoaib has been placed in solitary confinement by Pakistan Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) and his contact with his lawyers and family is denied. This development took place when wife of Shoaib released Shoaib’s message on facebook Link (https://www.facebook.com/BOLNETWORK/videos/717856678325272/)
This development indicates that there might be some reality about his alleged links with intelligence network and now agencies are worried for exposure of some facts before he officially accepts all crimes he is tagged in.
Two top ranking journalists headed Axact sponsored TV Channel Bol till May 23, 2015 and then abruptly resigned from the channel and both are known for their contacts in Pakistani establishment and this was one of the reason that majority of people in Pakistan believed that Bol Media enterprise was sponsored by Pakistani establishment.
Shoaib is under arrest after New York Times (NYT) ran a story about his company namely Axact Group that is the mother organization of the forthcoming Bol Group of Media enterprise including forthcoming BOL Television.
NYT claims that Axact has created hundreds of websites that looks like American, British, and Persian Gulf-region educational institutions, while all high schools and universities declared by Axact are fictitious and allegedly being provided fake diplomas and entire fake network of educational institutions.
Axact denied charges of fake degree claims that New York Times ran the story in collaboration with its local partner Group that is rival group of Axact and some other media outlets to hurt the success of BOL.
Hindustan Times ran a story with headline of “Dawood TV on screen soon” on September 29, 2013 against Axact Group, claiming that group is sponsored by Dawood Ibhrahim, Pakistani intelligence service and it deals in fake degrees and porn films. Pakistani FIA is now confirming charges of fake degrees but nothing is heard officially about its linkages with porn films production and ISI connections. Story said:
According to people who were close to the process of setting up the new channel privately confirm that the two main parties are gangster-turned-terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and Pakistan’s premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence. They say the ISI has adopted this strategy as the country’s broadcast media has become increasingly independent and critical of the ISI’s activities.
Ibrahim has asked Chota Shakeel to oversee the channel’s finances. Shakeel has personally met some of the journalists who were offered jobs. The official sponsors of BOL TV are a Karachi-based online content company called Axact. The company claims to be one of Pakistan’s most vibrant software houses with over 5,000 employees. The company has a reputation for hosting illegal porn sites and selling fake degrees, charges it denies.
