The Supreme Court on Monday returned a petition filed by PML-Q former federal minister Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani seeking the recovery of billions of dollars from foreign bank accounts of Pakistani politicians, bureaucrats, army generals, judges and businessmen, and directed the petitioner to re-file it within 15 days after making necessary amendments.
A two-member Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain asked Justice (r) Mian Allah Nawaz, counsel for Senator Durrani, to redraft the petition by disclosing the names of those who looted national wealth and hoarded it in foreign banks.
The chief justice observed that though the title of the petition was changed, however, no amendment was made in the body. He asked the counsel that he had not disclosed the name of a single person who looted national wealth. Besides, he said heads of all the political parties were made respondents in the petition and how could they assist the court if summoned.
The CJP said if national wealth was illegally transferred in foreign accounts, there existed law of money laundering to address the problem.
The court also directed counsel Durrani to delete all portions and paragraphs of the petition on that objection had been raised. The court further directed him to give details of persons, who had taken money out of Pakistan, along with the details that how much money was lying in their foreign banks.
The chief justice said the money taken out of the country illegally was a matter of money laundering and for that the petitioner had to level allegation against the persons. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain noted that the objective of the petitioner was noble and if he really wanted to help the country in recovery of national wealth from foreign banks, he should raise the issue in parliament as well.
The chief justice said why did the petitioner think that only politicians were responsible for capital flight from Pakistan, adding that there were news that businessmen and industrialists had taken their money out of Pakistan.
In his petition, Durrani had stated that certain Pakistani civilian and military officials, politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen have made money through illegal means and subsequently laundered it to Switzerland and other countries.
He claimed that the worth of money kept in foreign accounts was $400 billion to $500 billion. Durrani said per a UN convention, the money belonged to Pakistan and the court should direct the government to bring it back.