Under fire from opposition parties in the wake of damning Panama Leaks, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Wednesday hit back at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for losing donors’ money of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital in foreign investments.
Addressing a press conference, Danial Aziz, who was flanked by Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid and Privatisation Commission Chairman Muhammad Zubair, shared with the media documents and excerpts from the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKMT)’s audit reports and claimed that Imran Khan lost Rs 18 million from the General fund of the trust through investments in offshore property in Oman.
He claimed that Imran and others, including Imtiaz Hydari and Jaswant Desai, made money from foreign investment using the money that was donated to his welfare hospital.
Aziz maintained that funds from SKMT’s General fund, which contains Zakat and donations from philanthropists, were shifted to its Endowment fund and invested in offshore companies in British Virgin Islands.
He said while Imran Khan tries to convince businessmen from abroad to invest in Pakistan, he himself goes and does the exact opposite.
“The HBG Holdings Company is behind all these investments,” Aziz said, adding that BoDs of the hospital were involved in “huge embezzlement”.
Aziz said that millions of rupees collected for the treatment of poor cancer patients were lost in real estate business in Oman.
According to the audit report of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust 2010, Aziz said this investment has been made through an investment company, HBG Management Partners Limited, based in Dubai and CISL is a subsidiary of HBG Investment Holdings Limited.
CISL owns 3,000 shares as at December 31, 2010 in Sugarland Real Estate (BVI) Limited, a special purpose entity incorporated by HBG to undertake the development of a real estate project in Oman.
He said the land purchased and development costs for the project are currently appearing in the financial statements of Sugarland Real Estate (BVI) Limited at the aggregated cost of $28.323 million reduced by impairment loss of $18.256 million, thereby resulting in a carrying amount of $10.067 million as at December 31, 2010.
He said PML-N government had constituted a judicial commission to inform the masses about reality regarding the Panama papers. “Old information is being presented in new style,” he added.
Minister of State for Privatisation Muhammad Zubair claimed that Panama documents being displayed on the social and electronic media had no authenticity and the matter must be probed.
He said that Imran Khan who always alleged PML-N leadership for not paying tax, himself had been hiding his property until he entered Parliament.
He urged the electronic media to raise the issue that why Imran Khan had not filed his tax returns during his career as a cricketer.
He said Imran Khan went to Calcutta recently on a chartered plane owned by Malik Riaz which showed that he had some business interests with the real estate tycoon.
‘PTI RUNS FROM TOUGH QUESTIONS’:
At the outset of the press conference, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said some new revelations have emerged in connections with SKMT which need to be shared with the media.
“We face the allegations hurled against us, but whenever we criticise Imran and his party they run from the argument and never answer questions raised against them,” he claimed.
He said a mechanism of accountability remains in place within the PML-N and there have been numerous instances where resignations were taken from those found involved in wrongdoings.
Pervaiz Rashid said the Panama Papers are nothing but private information made public and the papers do not point to any illegal activity.
When asked to comment on the fact that the papers do not provide a money trail which raises questions, Pervaiz Rashid said nowhere in the Panama Papers was mentioned that Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Nawaz, Mariam Nawaz or Nawaz Sharif committed any wrongdoing.
The minister regretted that Imran Khan levelled baseless allegations against others but had not so far got cleared himself of allegations of corruption in the Shaukat Khanum Hospital and Bani Gala property.
Imran Khan himself invested in offshore companies and he should admit it now rather than levelling allegations against the government, the minister added.
He said people of Pakistan would reject all the baseless allegations of the PTI, by casting vote in favour of the PML-N in the next general election in 2018. The minister said, “We will knock out PTI in the election 2018 through ballot.”
He said there was no threat to the government till 2018 and even beyond. He said many mega development projects had been launched by the PML-N government for welfare of the people.
PTI WANTS NAB TO INVESTIGATE:
On Monday, the PTI chief had demanded the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to immediately launch an investigation into the recent revelations about the Sharif family having offshore wealth.
“If NAB wants to maintain its legitimacy in the country it should uncover the corruption of these people,” the cricketer-turned-politician had said while talking to reporters at his Bani Gala residence in Islamabad.
On April 3, a massive leak of 11.5 million tax documents had exposed the secret offshore dealings of world leaders and celebrities, also naming three of PM Nawaz’s children for owning London real estate through offshore companies.
Meanwhile, the prime minister announced on Tuesday forming a high-level judicial commission to investigate the allegations of owning offshore companies and concealing assets.
“I hereby announce to form a judicial commission which will be led by a former judge of the Supreme Court,” he said while addressing the nation.
blank biodata form
shaukath khanum hospital is the best managed hospital in Pakistan. Perhaps there may be some investments made in off shore co's which have turned out to be not profitable. Overall Shaukath khanum hospital serves the poor and also the rich people of Pakistan very well and it deserves our continued support.
I don't blame any one but those voting for those thugs to elect them again again. Corruption is their blood so they wil always rob and steal no matter so whatever!
It is very embarrassing and shameful that the whole PML(N) machinery is busy countering charges of money-launderying. If they have not done anything unlawful , why so much fuss ? It is like Chor ki darhi me tinka. Daniyal Aziz's father was sacked by Mr Junejo, a former PM Pakistan, for corruption. How come he speaks that loud ?
A petty and utterly ridiculous response by the totally ill advised and illiterate bunch from PML N. Nawaz Sharif and clan has a reputation that few would like to have while Imran makes people proud by his efforts to care for the welfare of the poor. PTI and Imran Khan should ignore this.A look at the fleet sitting on the table would suggest that PML N now is depleted. They can’t find people to defend this family because they all feel the way rest of the country feels.
nawaz sharif is very good PM..immrankhan is very bad ..
It's Pakistan, nothing will change, nawaz will stay, damn
Comments are closed.