Hassan, Hussain and Maryam Nawaz on list
Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued notices to hundreds of people, including Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Nawaz and Maryam Nawaz, presumably on the growing pressure from opposition parties on the issue of Panama leaks.
FBR sources revealed that the notices have been issued to over 400 persons who fell within the ambit of the Panama leaks and they have been directed to give replies within 15 days. They have been asked about ownership of the offshore companies and the source of money used in purchasing these companies. FBR authorities were under pressure since several months about this course of action.
They have been asked if they have shown income earned by them every year from these off-shore companies in their income tax returns or otherwise. According to the law, the FBR can ascertain those individuals’ assets who made the offshore companies in the last 5 years but those persons who have mentioned off-shore companies in their tax returns cannot be probed.
Responding to a question, finance minister Ishaq Dar had said on Friday that significant amount of work had been done with reference to the Panama leaks. Notices will be sent to these people within a few days. The State Bank of Pakistan and Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan are also doing their bit in this regard.
Sources said those to whom notices have been sent, include Hassan and Hussain Nawaz, sons of prime minister Nawaz Sharif; Maryam Nawaz, daughter of the prime minister; Jahangir Tarin from the PTI; Anwar Saifullah; Saifullah Saleem; Humayun Saifullah; Iqbal Saifullah; Javed Saifullah; Jahangir Saifullah; Samina Durrani; Ilyas Meraj; Javed Pasha, close friend of Asif Ali Zardari; senator Rehman Malik; Wasim Gulzar, relative of Chaudhry Shujaat; Pervez Elahi; Zain Sukhera, co-accused in Hajj scandal with son of former PM Yousuf Raza Gillani. Azam Sultan, chairman ABM group; Tanveer Hussain; Aqeel Hussain, owner of Pizza Hutt; Abdul Rashid Soorty, chairman of Soorty Enterprises; chairman HBL, Sultan Ali; former president NIB Bank Khawaja Iqbal Hassan; owner of Buxlay paints, Bashir Ahmad; Javed Shakoor, owner of Berger paints; Mehmood Ahmad; Shahbaz Yasin Malik; Shahzada Dawood; Saad Raja; Shahid Abdullah; Nadim Abdullah and Amir Abdullah of Saphire textile; Gul Muhammad of Lucky Textile; Shahid Nazir and Nazia Nazir of Masood Textile mills; Justice Farrukh Irfan of Lahore High Court; former judge Malik Qayyum and others.
Earlier, the ToR committee comprising government and opposition members had become ineffective due to a lack of agreement between government and opposition on the specifics. The government had submitted a new bill to Parliament to give the full authority to Panama and other commissions which will form in future.