ISLAMABAD: Leader of the opposition in Senate and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan said on Friday that the name of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has not been removed from the proposed terms of reference (ToRs) for an inquiry into Panama Papers leaks.
Some media reports said that the opposition had agreed to remove the prime minister’s name from the draft terms. In response to this statement, Aitzaz said that “Prime Minister Nawaz’s name continues to exist [in the ToRs] by virtue of Hussain Nawaz being named in the Panama Papers.”
As a member of the committee from opposition side he informed that it had been defined in the proposed ToRs that the person whose family including parents, children, spouse and grandchildren are being probed under Panamagate will be part of the inquiry as well.
According to Panama data leaks the prime minister’s children, Hassan Nawaz Sharif, Hussain Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz Sharif, are the legal beneficiaries of offshore companies set up in British Virgin Islands. These companies owned at least six upmarket properties overlooking London’s Hyde Park.
According to Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) reports last month, PM Nawaz receives colossal amounts in remittances from his son Hussain who is settled in the UK.
In 2015, the prime minister received over Rs215 million from Hussain. Previously he had received remittances worth Rs239 million and Rs197. 5 million in 2014 and 2013 as well. The opposition alliance is of the opinion that any investigation into the alleged scandal should deal first with the financial affairs of the prime minister’s family. On the other hand, the government had proposed to widen the scope of the probe to loan defaulters and to those who are accused of transferring money earned through corruption and bribes.
A 12-member parliamentary committee, which has been given the responsibility to draft joint ToRs for an inquiry commission, held a meeting on Thursday, after which Federal Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar told media that the committee had agreed on four preambles and the opposition had been convinced to review its 15 questions. Later Aitzaz also spoke on the matter, “Yes, there is an agreement on the preamble passed by the two houses in the form a motion, but it is the committee which has to prioritise its work.”
According to him the two questions which the opposition had agreed to review were about inclusion of the name of PM Nawaz in the proposed ToRs and the perks and privileges which the Sharif family had received during their stay in Saudi Arabia.
