SwissLeaks may be more lethal than PanamaLeaks

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Is the PML-N government gearing up to expose names of political-business elite, including some towering opposition figures too, through Swiss Leaks – more authentic and officially verified in comparison to Panama Leaks. Theoretically, by the end of this year or early next year, in case all goes well, big-wig politicians, bureaucrats, retired generals, businessmen having stashed away US $ 80-200 billion in the Swiss banks would stand exposed? Practically, the whole thing has to pass the test of bitter-ground reality sadly gripping our system of governance for decades now. 

A scam, Swiss Leaks, may potentially be more lethal than Panama Papers in terms of volume, impact and undeniable hard evidence too.  This lands us with a pertinent question: is the government really serious, as stated by the PML-N government’s effective second in command, finance Czar, Ishaq Dar? Or the matter would be postponed, hushed up, courtesy political expediency. 

In Dar’s own words before the National Assembly, Swiss authorities have offered the dates in later March or May this year to ink a formal agreement that would reveal all the details of money Pakistanis have, legally or illegally, stashed in that country. 

Going by the pure public sentiment, Dar and company would do a national service to ink the agreement as soon as possible. That would mean real info would start flowing within weeks or months as soon as all official formalities are chalked out. Only recently,

US State Department report revealed that $10 billion flee from Pakistan through money laundering every year. PTI chief and other independent sources claim, day in and day out, that Pakistanis have bought up to $8 billion worth of property in UAE, especially Dubai, during the last 3-4 years. 

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s policy statement before the National Assembly Wednesday was more than a mere policy statement.  It had clear-cut political connotations, especially when the effective second in command of the premier hints that a whopping sum of US$ 80-200 billion might be in Swiss banks, stashed away by Pakistanis through illegal means. A formal agreement with Swiss authorities as soon as the end of the current month might be a clear cut warning for those who had during the past few months added fuel to the Panama Leaks fire thinking, may be naively, that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and family could be sidelined effectively. As a result, the PML-N would scatter like a house of cards. At the National Assembly floor, Dar, however, used the information exchange accord with Swiss authorities as a clear cut signal. He, in all likelihood, wanted to forewarn country’s political-business elite who throughout the last few months were seen as torch-bearers of accountability in Panama case, but never thought that their Swiss links and foreign accounts could be exposed one day. So who is under possible threat of exposure under this agreement in offing in March. 

May be some bigwig politician obstructing or unduly lingering the almost consensus on military courts? Does this mean the political bigwig will now fall in line, tone down his recent fiery rhetoric? Or else. Dar, and another PML-N star in the making, Danyal Aziz, had time and again hinted that Pakistan’s membership of the OECD and a formal information exchange with Switzerland would expose those who have stashed a whopping sum of $80-200 billion in Swiss banks. 

So significant was Dar’s policy statement resonance in the early hours of Wednesday’s session that deputy speaker Murtaza Abbasi got perplexed, confused as he was faced with opposition women legislators’ agitation in their quest to speak out of turn on a privilege motion on the International Women’s Day. Though Abbasi tried to hide behind rules but his less articulate tackling, plain talk, didn’t work. He looked haggled, a bit confused, in front of the overly assertive opposition women legislators. And as expected, he invited yet another walkout. Soon PPP’s Abdul Sattar Bachanni pointed out quorum despite the duo of dove ministers, Abdul Qadir Baloch and the tactful Sheikh Aftab, approaching them at the lobby. 

Opposition only came back as the experienced Pervaiz Malik chaired the session and allowed opposition-treasury women legislators to speak on the issue. A resolution was also adopted to commemorate the Women’s Day. But only 16 members in total – around 9 of them women – were presented to pass it in the end as every other speaker kept on leaving after doling out the respective pearls of wisdom. 

In near past too, the deputy speaker had locked horns, and    that too unduly with Shireen Mazari prompting a walkout which had finally ended up with the gentleman taking back his words, apologising. Abbasi never wants an action replay. And keeps his actions and words under strict check, since then. And the situation has come to this level that the deputy speaker has to concede sometimes even when he is correct under rules. On this day too, all he wanted to do was to get along with more items on the agenda, and then give some time to the opposition-treasury women legislators to make speeches on the significance of the International Women’s Day. Another issue boggling deputy speaker’s mind was the expected arrival of Ishaq Dar, ruling PML-N effective second in command, any minute during afternoon proceedings. “Speaker sahib has already allocated separate time for today for the issue,” Abbasi repeatedly told the agitating PPP member Dr Nafeesa Shah, who on this day beamed a semi-revolutionary body language and tone, thus not ready to listen. At this point Shazia Marri and rest of the PPP legislators joined hands in solidarity. Shazia Marri, since her getting elected to the National Assembly has made it to the front ranks of the PPP benches, always on the front foot, well prepared for debates and legislative business at important junctures. She bucked up colleagues Nafeesa who was demanding time on the privilege motion, but the deputy speaker was adamant he wouldn’t let go. PPP legislators were in a defiant mood. But the tide turned heavily in their favour as Shireen Mazari jumped in employing her thundering-shrieking voice tones along with all the rhetoric. Shireen has this huge following with the PTI young guns, backbenchers like Murad Saeed, Ali Mohammad Khan too. All of them joined chorus then and there. And within minutes PTI and PPP legislators walked out, took along a bit reluctant JI parliamentary leader and the experienced yet tactful Aftab Sherpao too. Around four to five MQM members didn’t join the walkout. For political reasons, MQM keeps away from any political adventure of the PPP and the PTI too. Not in alliance with any party and badly checkmated by the MQM London and Mustafa Kamal-led PSP, Farooq Bhai led party sees PML-N as a potential partner for near future.