ISLAMABAD: After the leaked Pandora Papers, the opposition leaders pilloried Prime Minister Imran Khan following the disclosure made in the Pandora Papers and urged him to resign.
Earlier on Sunday night, with the leaked data on offshore companies, the global political atmosphere is again charged as the papers expose the uber-rich and powerful people, including Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cabinet members, financiers, retired generals, media owners and businessmen.
On the other hand, 700 Pakistanis are named in the data and all of them are tax residents in their country.
Ahsan Iqbal slams PM Imran Khan
Earlier, PML-N’s leader Ahsan Iqbal has said that the Pandora papers have opened a new Pandora’s box against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
While speaking to media in Narowal, Ahsan Iqbal said “That leader who used to present himself as sadiq (honest) and ameen (trustworthy), has two more offshore companies.”
He maintained that even before the Pandora Papers were disclosed, government spokespersons had started supporting PM Imran Khan.
He further said that PM Imran Khan is deceiving people by chiding the COVID-19 pandemic for inflation in Pakistan. “Inflation persists due to the government’s poor economic policies,” he added.
“This corrupt, incompetent, unworthy government has no right to remain in power,” he said, adding that there is “something not just fishy, but super fishy going on.”
PM Imran Khan wore a “cloak of honesty” and “fooled” the people, Iqbal said, adding that the premier spoiled Pakistan’s respect and dignity.
Not shocked over PM’s aides named in Pandora Papers
Sherry Rehman, the PPP Senator, isn’t shocked over the premier’s close aides were named in the Pandora Papers.
The PPP leader said in a post on Twitter that we all know that slogans of “corruption, free Pakistan and accountability” are all hollow and a way to target the opposition.
“Will the Prime Minister go to the Supreme Court against his people? Or will a report be called for like in other scandals?” Rehman asked.
PM encourage investigation against ministers as done against Nawaz Sharif
Prime Minister Imran should encourage investigation of ministers and other people around him exposed in the Pandora Papers in the same way he did in the case of Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz’s spokesman Muhammad Zubair.
He said that Junaid Safdar’s name was being reported to turn attention from the names of people who are part of the PTI government. Ali Dar, he said, is not a resident of Pakistan, so his name must not be repeatedly mentioned.
Ministers, advisers exposed in Pandora Papers should resign, says Sirajul Haq
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq has said that the government ministers and advisers named in the Pandora Papers should resign immediately.
In his statement, the JI chief said that ministers and advisers should resign if their names are mentioned in the Pandora Papers, otherwise they should be dismissed.
He said that for transparency in the investigation and to avoid government influence, it was necessary to remove the government employees whose names were involved.
