Major opposition parties of the country out rightly rejected formation of a commission announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to investigate allegations against his family made in the so-called Panama Papers.
The Pakistan People Party (PPP), that is main opposition party in the National Assembly, rejected the announcement, as its senior leader Aitzaz Ahsan said formation of the commission under a retired judge “will not make any difference.” He called for an independent inquiry.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) are also on the same page in this regard.
Demanding resignation of the PM, PTI chief Imran Khan vows not to backpedal over the issue. His party is likely to submit an adjournment motion in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
The JI leader Siraj-ul-Haq even demands that PM and his family should be declared ineligible forever if allegations proved.
Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid declared PM’s announcement of the commission as a ‘farce’.
The leaked papers, comprising 11.5 million documents from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, exposes how some of the world’s most powerful people have secreted their money offshore, and also implicated Sharif’s sons Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz.
Three of Sharif’s four children are named in the Panama Papers — daughter Maryam, who has been tipped to be his political successor, and sons Hasan and Hussain — with the records showing they owned London real estate through offshore companies administered by Mossack Fonseca.
When the Panama Papers were first released, Sharif’s son Hussain denied the allegations, saying his family had done “nothing wrong”.
– ‘Strange logic’ –
Sharif said Hasan had lived in London since 1994 and Hussain in Saudi Arabia since 2000, where both run businesses — and emphasised that all their business dealings were in line with the laws and regulations of those countries.
“My father had established a steel factory near Makkah with the loans from Saudi Arabian banks when we were in exile. After some years, this factory was sold and these resources were used by my sons Hasan and Hussain for their new businesses,” Nawaz Sharif said.
“This is a strange logic that if our children earn their legitimate money inside the country there is criticism, and if they work hard overseas and establish and run businesses, even then they are targeted by allegations,” he said.
Revenue generation is particularly sensitive for Pakistan’s government, which is receiving a $6.6 billion bailout package from the IMF and has a tax-to-GDP ratio of 11 percent, among the lowest in the world.
As prime minister, Sharif has invited investment in Pakistan. But the latest revelations could raise uncomfortable questions about why his family has kept their wealth abroad.
The Panama Papers have whipped up a storm of controversy over offshore wealth, ensnaring political leaders, sports figures and underworld members across the globe in the scandal.
People have been ‘indoctrinated’ through, bribe, blackmail and an undisciplined Police. They are scared to come out and protest. They remember Modal Town and treatment of people who were blind!
Comments are closed.