“This is a Test of Parliament” Interview: ex-Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani

It’s a national cause

Nobody in Islamabad is willing to talk about Panamagate — as more and more people are calling it – especially to  print media. Nor many people in other cities for that matter. It’s not immediately known if things are any different in London. Some N-leaguers did not have much of a problem with committing to talk early Friday. But something changed after the Assembly session and everybody went mum; even those that had promised. opposition parties have their own reasons not to speak, of course, even if they don’t mind offering more than their two pence on TV.

PTI’s surely still calculating. Their chief does enough damage by threatening dharna every chance he gets – committing to the extreme position too early in the game – leaving others to undo the damage (wasting precious time). but now that the party high-command is suddenly in London, just when Nawaz Sharif had to (suddenly) be in London for his check-up, it’s natural for it ‘feel’ things a little more before making any bold statements. PPP, too, is being cautious. It’s not going to play dharna, no matter how hard PTI tries, and it is not looking to oust the PM. It is in no shape to go to the polls anytime soon. So it’ll like the pressure on PML-N, but it is not likely to go much further unless things change unpredictably.

But then former Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani suddenly waltzed into a press conference in the heart of the capital and enlightened the country how the UN itself could be pressed to look in to the Panama Leaks corruption. DNA has, on occasion, talked to the minister from the Musharraf days. And this time he did not, like members of the ruling party and opposition, mince any words or give in to much political correction.

‘I launched a movement in 2011 to bring back over $500 billion of looted money stashed in various offshore accounts in western banks. For the cause I filed a writ petition with the apex court to direct the government in this regard. I plan to seek help from these 30 organisations for this national cause. Supreme Court Bar Association President Barrister Ali Zafar and internationally renowned legal expert Senator Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif have also joined me in the anti- corruption movement’

DNA: What is the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative and why have you submitted a writ petition with the Supreme Court of Pakistan asking the court to direct the federal government to move United Nations (UN) and World Bank to help return looted national wealth?

Durrani: According to an estimate, around $500 billion of the looted money have been stashed in offshore and unnamed accounts in the western banks by corrupt Pakistanis.

A global anti-corruption struggle was started around 16 years back under which UN was pledged to play its role to help the developing nations help recover their stolen assets by corrupt leaders. Finally, the UN had passed a Convention against Corruption in year 2003 to help return the looted wealth of underdeveloped countries from the offshore banks of the west. For the purpose, the World Bank launched Stolen Asset Recovery (SATR) Initiative under which billions of dollars have been returned by the Swiss government to several countries including United Kingdom, Nigeria, Philippines, Peru, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Haiti, India and others.

Now there are 30 international organizations working for this cause which I plan to contact for return of the stolen assets of Pakistan.

I had launched a movement in year 2011 to bring back over $500 billion of looted money stashed in various offshore accounts in western banks. For the cause, I had filed a writ petition with the apex court to direct the government for this cause. I plan to seek help from these 30 organisations to help this national cause. Supreme Court Bar Association President Barrister Ali Zafar and internationally renowned legal expert Senator Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif have also joined me in the anti-corruption movement. I am thankful to both these patriotic souls and urge all the politicians sitting in the parliament and other national organizations to join me in the national cause.

DNA: How do you view the Panama scandal as a whole? Do you believe Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family have become its victims or that they’re being politically implicated in this scam?  

Durrani: Let me tell you that there is nothing new in the allegations leveled against the Prime Minister and his family under the Panama Papers. These allegations were leveled time and again against the prime minister and his family. However, the Panama leaks have provided these allegations an impetus to these accusations and a solid case has emerged which needs an unbiased and thorough investigation.

DNA: How do you view the threats of street agitation announced by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan as the way to deal with Panama affair while the country is marching on its historic path of development under the game-changing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)? If this street agitation goes ahead, do you believe it may harm the all weather China-Pakistan ties?

Durrani: First of all let me tell you that Sino-Pakistan friendship is time tested and strategic in nature which would continue without interruption irrespective of the fact whichever party rules Pakistan. So the CPEC has sovereign guarantees from Pakistan. So I don’t believe there is any threat to CPEC or the developmental projects under the CPEC.  Yes, this argument is being build by the federal government which is political in nature.

DNA: Do you believe that PTI and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leadership are adopting a good strategy against the prime minister on Panama affair?

Durrani: It would be a sheer injustice to Pakistan if any political party uses this scam for toppling the federal government. However, having said so, I believe there are two ways to settle this mess. Either all accused in Panama papers for holding illicit wealth abroad in offshore banks submit immediate apology to the nation and the government itself take steps to get this looted wealth back to Pakistan; or the state of Pakistan investigate the matter in a transparent manner and punish all those found involved with any of the crime enlisted in the Panama leaks.

Moreover, since prime minister and his family have been named in Panama Leaks, Mian Nawaz Sharif has lost his constitutional, legal and moral justification to appoint any commission to probe the matter. So now only Parliament, which is elected by the people of Pakistan, has the right and responsibility to appoint an inquiry commission for bringing forth the truth about all Pakistanis, including the Sharif family named in the Panama Leaks.

If the Parliament can unanimously adopt the constitution of 1973, 18^th amendment and national action plan to curb terrorism, why it cannot take a unanimous decision regarding those facing the charge of economic terrorism to bring back the looted national wealth to the country and stop once and for all the loot and plunder of the national exchequer. This would also unite the nation and would also stop sharp political divisions among the public at large.

In accordance with the aspirations of the public, the Parliament must rise against the looters and plunderers, who are responsible for the poverty and sense of deprivation among people of the country. This is test of the Parliament as well as politicians to work jointly to act against economic terrorists under the National Action Plan.

The Parliament has a golden and historic opportunity to discharge its responsibility as the custodian of the constitution and law to rid the country of political, constitutional and legal crises. This will restore the public confidence in the Parliament and democracy.

DNA: We know that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is an intelligent political operator who has defeated many storms in the past.  Do you believe would be able to sail through the storm created due to Panama leaks?

Durrani: Yes, Prime Minister has been very lucky in the past. Yes, he has defeated imminent defeat many a times. Moreover, he has around him many wise colleagues who have helped the PM sail through many storms in past. It is also correct that he has defeated his opponents with or without the help of the establishment. Even he has also overpowered the establishment at times.

Nawaz Sharif was blamed for everything bad in the past without credible evidence but this time around massive evidence is available against him. And neither this is a ploy by the establishment or by any of his political enemies, rather it seems luck is not at his side.

Though the premier is again trying to create a legal web with some of his supporters among the legal fraternity, yet I fear things are not good for him this time around and he is facing a serious challenge this time around.

Prime Minister has already become a victim of Panama revelations on legal and moral grounds. After several documents revealed in the Panama leaks and the contradictory statements by his family members, the perceptional credibility of Nawaz Sharif has lowered down to that of PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

Hence, the premier has stuck in a deep bayou which is taking him down with each effort he is making to get out of it.

In my humble view, there is only one way is left out for the prime minister – go to his people and offer apology for all his wrongdoing and start an effort to get all the looted wealth of the nation back to Pakistan. This is the only way the people of Pakistan may forgive him.