Panama Leaks probe must start from Sharif family: Aitzaz

ISLAMABAD: Leader of Opposition Aitzaz Ahsan told the Senate Thursday that all major opposition parties had agreed on six points with regards to probe into Panama Leaks and wanted the prime minister and his family’s investigation first with regards to their offshore assets.

Aitzaz, who was the last to speak on a motion filed by the PML-Q’s Mushahid Hussain Syed, said the PPP, PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami, Fata parliamentarians and other parties had agreed in principle for a probe into Panama Leaks.

He and other opposition senators wondered if the prime minister’s hands were clean then why like British Prime Minister David Cameron, he had not so far presented himself in Parliament with details of his assets and taxes, he had paid over the years.

“We’ve met almost all political parties in this regard. We met Aftab Sherpao, we also plan to meet ruling PML-N and will also meet lawmakers of MQM, who will be in capital next week,” Aitzaz said.

He contended that if the allegations against the children of the prime minister were true, then land record of different countries, from where the money could have been illegally shifted to foreign countries using different means, would be required.

He was of the view that there must be proof of the amount that had been shifted abroad, and entrusting the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the country’s top anti-corruption bodies, would not be a wise decision as they would not be able to do justice with a high-profile case, involving the family of the prime minister.

“If this had been against the PPP, all these anti-graft bodies would have been in action within no time, but now in this case when it’s not against the PPP, all is well,” he lamented. Aitzaz demanded that an internationally recognised forensic firm would be engaged to find out from where all this amount came from, adding the forensic firm must be fully empowered besides approaching World Bank under its ‘stolen assets recovery’ programme to probe assets stocked in offshore companies.

The world forensic audit firm, he noted, would have to be empowered and legislation in this connection would be either by summoning a joint sitting of the Parliament or the government, enjoying two-third majority in the National Assembly should facilitate the entire process.

The names of over 200 Pakistanis have been named in the Leaks, which according to Aitzaz should be also be tried, but the need of the hour was that the priority must be given to the prime minister, his family, and the assets of Ittefaq Group of Industries.

“The investigation, on which there is full consensus among all political parties must start from the prime minister,” he maintained.

Another major evidence against the prime minister in Panama Leaks, according to Aitzaz, was the contradictory television interviews by the children of the premier about his Mayfair apartment in London. He said that it would be the biggest charge sheet against the prime minister as far as the evidence was concerned to initiate investigation in Panama Papers, as the interviews of Hussain Nawaz Sharif and Hassan Nawaz Sharif - the two sons of the premier, his spouse Kulsoom and daughter Maryam - about the apartments.

Aitzaz noted the last thing was that if the prime minister had done nothing wrong; no illegal property; no illegal transaction; no money laundering, and nothing wrong even by mistake, he should present himself in the Parliament for accountability like British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Other senators from the opposition also spoke on Panama Leaks and insisted that a thorough probe should be held. 

The PPP Senator Saeed Ghani wished Nawaz to come to the Parliament and share details as had the British Premier, who faced no direct charges. He wondered if everything was fine then why the statements of the Sharif family members were conflicting and not identical. 

But, the treasury benches seemed a bit upset, saying the prime minister alone must not be targeted by the opposition for political point scoring.

One of them, Nihal Hashmi passed some remarks, which irritated the Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani, who asked him to sit down and hoped he would not repeat what he had done.