• Home

Panama Papers: Pak oppn calls for high-powered probe

Islamabad - PPP and PTI leaders demand probe team headed by CJ

In a heated debate over the 'Panama Papers' reference to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's children in the National Assembly on Thursday and Friday, opposition leaders demanded wide-ranging investigations by a panel of national and international all-independent auditors headed by the Chief Justice (CJ) of Pakistan.
Leader of the Opposition Syed Khurshid Shah and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chairman Imran Khan leading the debate rejected the proposal of a judicial commission led by a retired judge of the Supreme Court. Instead they demanded a high-powered body with full authority to probe the case, particularly source of funding of offshore companies and high value London property.
Shah said the issue relates to questions raised by an international organisation and not by any Pakistani leader. Both Imran and Shah said the prime minister has incorrectly claimed that the Park Lane property was purchased by his sons in 2006 whereas there is credible proof that these were bought in 1993.
Both also underpinned the argument that the prime minister loses moral authority to invite foreign investors to invest in Pakistan when his own children have stacked billions of dollars abroad.
They wondered how could young children of Nawaz Sharif build huge business empire from modest resources.
At the same time, the two main opposition parties, PPP and PTI, also warned the government to take the issue seriously, otherwise, they reserved the right of protest, which could prove fatal to the existing system. Imran warned that he would not let the issue die down and threatened to take it to streets if no mechanism was devised to investigate it.
"This time the dharna (sit-in) will not be held at Islamabad's D-Chowk but outside Raiwind (residence of the prime minister)", he declared.
Information Minister Parvez Rashid and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif strongly defended the premier and lauded his decision to present himself for accountability before a judicial commission. Both hit back at Imran accusing him of wasting three million dollars of his cancer hospital by investing them in an offshore company.
Speaking in the assembly on Friday, Parvez Rashid roared: "Those in the opposition are not innocent either. Imran swallowed three million dollars donated in charity by people."
Talking to reporters outside the Parliament House, Imran slammed the ministers for deflecting the real issue and attempting to blackmail him on a baseless charge. He said the money was invested by the hospital's board out of donations received from overseas Pakistanis. This investment was received back by the hospital in June last year.
news@khaleejtimes.com