ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said the after the Panama Papers, the revelations by UK-based firm Broadsheet had exposed the massive scale of corruption and money laundering by ruling elites.
“Panama Papers exposed our ruling elites corruption & money laundering earlier. Now Broadsheet revelations have again exposed the massive scale of our ruling elites corruption & money laundering,” he said, adding that these elites cannot hide behind “victimisation” card on these revelations.
The prime minister said the revelations expose repeatedly what he has been stating during his struggle 24-year-fight against corruption, which he called “the biggest threat” to Pakistan’s progress.
He said the revelations showing these elites come to power and plunder the country and laundering their ill-gotten wealth abroad, safe from domestic prosecution.
He said these elites then use their “political clout to get NROs” and this is how they kept their plundered wealth safe. He added that the people of Pakistan are the “biggest losers.”
PM Imran Khan said not only is the nation’s wealth stolen by the elites, their taxpayer money, paid for recovering this wealth, is wasted because of NROs.
“These revelations tip of the iceberg,” he said, adding that they want complete transparency from Broadsheet on the elites money laundering and those who stopped investigations.
What do these revelations expose repeatedly? 1. Exactly what I have been saying in my 24-yr fight against corruption which is the biggest threat to Pak’s progress. 2. These elites come to power & plunder the country.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 13, 2021
The revelations by Broadsheet have garnered controversy after it was known that several political leaders were targeted by the former Musharraf regime to find their wealth stashed abroad.
The federal cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to form an inter-ministerial committee to reveal the facts and important points to exposing the individuals who had stolen assets and laundered the money abroad.
While addressing a press conference, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and others “influenced the inquiry to save their own skin” and now the government has decided to make those names public after thorough scrutiny.
He said the committee would “expose” those individuals who have stolen the nation’s wealth and dragged the country into litigation which has caused great embarrassment. He said the committee will share its own findings soon.
He said that the Broadsheet issue started in 2000 and when PML-N and PPP were given an “NRO” and the case was consigned to cold storage. He said the case involved 200 people who had transferred stolen assets and wealth aboard.
