PML-N leaders take a stab at answering Opp’s questions for PM

• PML-N members’ response insists PM and his family have always followed the law
• Aitzaz says government leader’s response shows they’re panicking

The opposition parties on Friday released a list of seven points of disclosure for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ahead of his planned attendance in the National Assembly this Friday.

Representatives of the ruling party ‘responded’ to the questions later in the day, rejecting all allegations regarding possession of offshore companies by the premier.

The questionnaire had been prepared in a meeting of the opposition parties chaired by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Aitzaz Ahsan in the Parliament House. Members of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and PPP attended the meeting.

The questionnaire asked the prime minister to clarify when and how four apartments in Mayfair, London were purchased and the source of taxable income used to purchase them, to name property held by the PM and his family between 1985 and 2016 and the source of taxable income available to the PM and his family during that period.

The questionnaire also asked the PM to confirm which of the four, seemingly contradictory, claims to explain the ownership and purchase of the Mayfair flats was correct.

The terms of disclosure followed the PM’s announcement that he will attend Friday’s session of the parliament to answer the opposition’s queries regarding the Panama Papers.

THE GOVT’S ANSWERS:

Addressing a press conference, PML-N leaders Daniyal Aziz, Mohammad Zubair, Abid Sher Ali and Talal Chaudary lambasted various members of the opposition parties while answering the questions raised by Aitzaz Ahsan.

In response to the first question concerning the ownership of the Mayfair properties and the source of funds for their purchase, Talal Chaudhary said that Hussain Nawaz, son of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has already said that he owns the Mayfair flats, located in the United Kingdom, which he purchased after selling a factory in Saudi Arabia.

Referring to the second question concerning the contradictory statements from Sharif family members and government officials to explain the ownership of the apartments, Talal said that this is an attempt to confuse the public. He said that Hassan Nawaz gave an interview in 1999 regarding the property he owned and the business he operated. He said that the interview of his brother, Hussain, which he gave this year, endorsed Hassan’s statements.

The third question asked how long the PM had been residing in these properties and also mentioned a high court judgment asking the Sharif family to pay $32 million to the Al-Taufeeq Company for Investment Funds Ltd, asking how the money was paid. It also asked if it was true that £7 million had been raised against the apartments from Deutsche Bank in Switzerland.

Talal’s only response to this question was that PM Nawaz was not named in the Al-Taufeeq case.

‘IF YOU CAN’T ANSWER A QUESTION, ANSWER A DIFFERENT QUESTION’:

The fourth question asked to identify the offshore companies and accounts of the Sharif family as well as the value of these assets, accounts and properties.

Talal answered the question by saying that no offshore company is operating under the name of PM Nawaz Sharif.

The fifth question asked about the details of the properties bought and sold by the prime minister and his family between 1985 and 2016 and what tax-paid funds the family had under their control during this period.

Talal, however, said the question relates to the prime minister’s income, the property he owns and whether he pays any tax or not. He said this question has been answered in the tax returns that were filed in the previous year.

The sixth question asked if it is true that PM’s children hold or have held shares in Ittefaq Sugar Mills and Chaudhry Sugar Mills which would mean that they would have to file tax returns in Pakistan and declare their worldwide assets as well as offshore companies and accounts.

Answering the question, Talal said that all taxes, including the one related to property, were paid in accordance with the country’s laws.

The final question asked to provide details of how much income tax each member of the prime minister’s family had paid in each year since 1985 as well the details of assets of each family member in the corresponding year.

Talal answered the question by saying that all members of the prime minister’s family have paid taxes according to the law, the details of which, he said, are available with relevant institutions.

Addressing the reporters, State Minister for Power Abid Sher Ali criticised the opposition by saying that it is wasting the public’s time, adding that the lot of thieves intends to hamper the progress being made in the country.

Abid Sher said that Aitzaz Ahsan’s wife is on top of the list regarding corruption, adding that the PPP leader cannot even get elected as a councilor and that he has no political future.

He said that the opposition has launched a new propaganda campaign while the prime minister is still in Tajikistan. He also said that the PM is making trips abroad for the betterment of the country and that the people do not believe in what Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has to say.

The PML-N leader further labeled certain members of the opposition parties as political wolves, adding that the opposition intends to distort the facts.

PML-N leader Daniyal Aziz said that Imran Khan has once again shifted from his stance, as he is now demanding investigation from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) instead of the commission formed to probe the Panama Leaks.

He said that the opposition is not raising the question forensic audit anymore as it is afraid that investigation will also be conducted against PTI leader Aleem Khan, Faisal Wada and Imran Khan’s sisters. He added that the opposition has abandoned the very Terms of References (TORs) it presented and that it intends to hinder progress of the country by leveling allegations.

GOVT LEADERS PANICKING:

Later at night, after hearing the government’s response, Aitzaz Ahsan said that the government members had not actually answered any of the opposition’s questions. He said the government should not resort to abusive language while answering the opposition’s questions. He said the government’s response betrayed the panic of the rulers.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN:

The opposition has been clamouring for the prime minister to attend the parliament’s session and answer opposition’s questions regarding the Panama Leaks.

After Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid announced on Tuesday that the prime minister will attend the Friday’s session after he returns from a two-day visit to Tajikistan, the opposition said they were going to prepare questions for the prime minister to answer during Friday’s session.

Formally withdrawing their demand for the prime minister’s resignation, opposition parties last week finally agreed on a draft of the TORs) for the judicial commission to investigate the allegations thrown in the wake of the release of Panama Papers.

Opposition parties want the formation of a three-member judicial commission — headed by the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) — through an act of parliament. The commission, they say, should first hold an inquiry against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and members of his family and will be given three months, extendable to four, to complete the task.

Only then, according to the opposition-drafted TORs, can it start proceedings against other Pakistanis named in the Panama Papers and will have a year to complete this task.

Earlier, the government rejected the opposition’s TORs but said they were open to talks.

WHAT THE PANAMA PAPERS REVEAL ABOUT SHARIF FAMILY:

The data from the Panama Papers, available on the website of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists — one of around 100 news organisations and 300 journalists that worked on mining the data simultaneously — also reveals the offshore holdings of members of Prime Minister Sharif’s family.

Maryam is described as “the owner of British Virgin Islands-based firms Nielsen Enterprises Limited and Nescoll Limited, incorporated in 1994 and 1993”.

On one of the documents released by ICIJ, the address listed for Nielsen Enterprises is Saroor Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The document, dated June 2012, describes Maryam Nawaz as the ‘beneficial owner’.

According to ICIJ, “Hussain and Maryam signed a document dated June 2007 that was part of a series of transactions in which Deutsche Bank Geneva lent up to $13.8 million to Nescoll, Nielsen and another company, with their London properties as collateral”.

In July 2014, the two companies were transferred to another agent.

Hassan Nawaz Sharif is described as “the sole director of Hangon Property Holdings Limited incorporated in the British Virgin Islands in February 2007, which acquired Liberia-based firm Cascon Holdings Establishment Limited for about $11.2 million in August 2007”.