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Pakistan starts investigation against 600 over hidden assets abroad

Tuesday, 05 October 2021 2:37 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 05 October 2021 2:37 AM ]

Javed Rana
Press TV, Islamabad

Pakistani politicians and former top civilian and military officials are in the spotlight after they were named in Pandora Papers scandal.

There are as many as 600 Pakistani politicians, retired civilian and military officials whose names surfaced in the scandal. Among them also included sitting Ministers and close aid to Prime Minister Imran Khan whose government came into power in 2018 with the pledge to end rampant corruption.

Pandora papers are based on 11.9 million documents from 14 firms mostly in British virgin island and the US where many world leaders and top officials including from Pakistan hid their allegedly ill-gotten money by setting up anonymous off-shore companies.

Prime Minister Imran has ordered an investigation into the scandal.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s predecessor Nawaz Sharif was ousted from power in 2017 for possessing overseas assets beyond known means of their income after similar scandal known as Panama papers surfaced. Since then the government has announced many tax amnesty schemes to legalize the hidden wealth of politicians and officials in and outside Pakistan in return of tax penalties, therefore, many believe, the corrupt elements are likely to get scot free once again.

Pandora papers scandal is likely to die down in Pakistan given the fact that this time around country’s military seems to have no appetite to play its role to oust the current government unlike in 2017 when the military fully backed the judiciary to oust the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after he clashed with the army on issues linked with foreign policy.

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