- Information minister says those who are making hue and cry on offshore companies, themselves own such companies
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to give a policy statement on the issue of Panama Papers in the National Assembly on Monday.
As the prime minister takes the floor in the National Assembly, he will be speaking from a position of considerable strength compared to a couple of days ago when a rampant opposition almost appeared to have him on the run.
The changed dynamic is evident from the statements coming from the government quarters.
A government source said that the prime minister – who had earlier been put under tremendous pressure to answer the allegations leveled against members of his family in the wake of the Panama Leaks – “may announce some necessary steps to ensure a transparent probe into the Panama Papers issue and offshore companies”.
The opposition’s plan, already a long shot, considering the fact that it depended on the government to move its unassailable majority in the parliament to enact a new law which may allow for an effective accountability of the government itself, has appeared even more distant in light of recent developments.
WHAT CHANGED? WELL, KHAN WAS HARVEY DENT ALL ALONG:
This time, the lion’s share of the blame belongs to no one other than Imran Khan.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman has been the face of the recent anti-corruption sentiment in the country. Top leaders in Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) including Rehman Malik and even Benazir Bhutoo have also been named in the Panama Papers, while PTI has questions of its own to answer regarding Aleem Khan and Jahangeer Khan Tareen. Khan, therefore, was the undisputed face of the opposition’s assault.
On a dramatic Friday, first Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali rejected the government’s request to form a judicial commission to probe the Panama Papers saying the commission’s mandate was too broad and it would take years to finalise its findings. Both the government and the opposition rushed to claim the CJ’s response was a vindication of their position rather than their opponents, but it was clear the opposition had won that round.
The war, however, had already swung the other way as a story had been published in a local daily that same morning claiming Imran had had an offshore company of his own since 1983.
That afternoon, when Imran Khan landed at Heathrow Airport, he told media personnel there he had indeed formed an offshore company with the aim to evade taxes in Britain during a flat purchase deal in 1983.
“I was already paying 35 per cent tax on my income there, so to evade further taxes, I bought the flat through an offshore firm, which was my right as I was not a British citizen,” Imran told reporters.
Imran Khan had severely criticised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family for owning and benefiting from offshore companies after the ICIJ investigation which led to the release of Panama Papers revealing offshore accounts of the rich and mighty across the world.
HELP FROM THE DIVINE:
This was music to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government’s ears, whose ministers wasted no time in giving the death of a thousand cuts to the opposition’s anti-corruption campaign.
Now, while the opposition parties redoubled their efforts to tell the public about the nuances of the law regarding offshore companies, which would prove that while Nawaz Sharif had violated it, Imran Khan had not, all the government ministers needed to do was keep reminding the people that the government and the opposition are in the same boat when it comes to offshore companies.
On Sunday Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid said those who are making hue and cry on offshore companies, themselves own such companies.
Talking to media after the cake-cutting ceremony on the first anniversary of a private television channel, he said Prime Minister Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would answer all the questions of the opposition in the National Assembly on Monday.
He said the people should wait for the Prime Minister’s speech. He would respond to the questions of the opposition and other parliamentarians.
To a question, he said the government would welcome any call for dialogue from the opposition. He said, three-fourths of the opposition want to hear the prime minister’s speech.
Responding to another query, the minister said that the prime minister’s whole life is an open secret as he has always practiced fair politics.
The prime minister, he said, regularly submits his income tax returns and the people who are accusing him of having offshore companies, have been exposed as they themselves own such companies.
On Saturday, the information minister had lashed out at the PTI chief and his party leaders, accusing them of owning the highest number of offshore companies compared to members of other political groups.
Responding to Rashid’s presser, PTI spokesperson Naeemul Haq said Saturday that instead of indulging in mudslinging, the government ministers should order an investigation against the PTI leaders at the earliest, as the party was not running away from accountability.
He said that Imran Khan had revealed the truth before the nation, so it was not he rather Prime Minister Nawaz who could be called the “top-most accused” for not answering the ‘seven questions’ posed by the joint opposition.
Haq said that every individual in the county was well aware of Khan’s assets, so the ministers should not waste the nation’s precious time by holding press conferences daily, adding that PTI chief’s offshore company was registered in England.
He said that the premier addressed the nation but failed to answer any of the questions posed by the opposition parties, as he only narrated stories of his own sacrifices.
WON’T MAKE A PEEP DURING PM’S SPEECH IN NA, PTI’S QURESHI ASSURES:
Meanwhile the opposition parties, who appear to have the weaker hand, have assured that they would not create a hullabaloo during the prime minister’s speech. In fact, it would be a huge mistake for the government to count them out as they have extra motivation to turn the tables once more and gain an upper hand, however temporary in the fight with the government.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Deputy Parliamentary Leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, however, has assured that his party will not create a disturbance of any sort during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s speech in the National Assembly concerning the crucial Panama Leaks issue.
Shah said that the opposition members await PM Nawaz’s arrival in the National Assembly to discuss the Panama Papers, adding that questions will also be asked of the government representatives regarding the matter. Qureshi said that no slogans will be raised by PTI members during the prime minister’s speech.
The PTI leader has also called a meeting of the joint opposition at 3:00 pm in the Opposition’s chamber prior to the NA session to devise a joint strategy.
Earlier, Pakistan People’s Party also announced that it will not create an uproar during PM Nawaz’s address in the National Assembly.
GOVT’S ‘BATTLE PLAN:
Not leaving anything to chance, top government officials met on Saturday to fine-tune their strategy to counter the opposition over the Panama Papers issue as well as for dealing with the country’s powerful military.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan chaired a high-level meeting at the Prime Minister’s House to review the government’s strategy to deal with the opposition’s likely protest during the PM’s speech in the National Assembly.
A well-placed source in the government told Pakistan Today that the meeting was attended by Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Law Minister Zahid Hamid and other PML-N members.
“The meeting considered the government’s strategy to handle the situation in the National Assembly during the PM’s speech. The interior minister directed the authorities concerned to ensure tight security in and around the Parliament House. It was also directed that no extraordinary passes are issued on the advice of the opposition members for the visitors’ galleries to ensure a peaceful environment in the House,” the source said.