ISLAMABAD: The country’s major opposition parties on Monday rejected Prime Minister Imran Khan’s move to establish a cell to investigate those Pakistani nationals whose names had appeared in the Pandora Papers and called for holding an inquiry either through an independent commission or a judicial commission on the pattern of Panama Papers Leaks issue about five years back.

The members of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) were unanimous that the investigation cell established by the prime minister was nothing but a “hoax” and a move to protect ministers and some other individuals associated with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and its allies. A number of individuals in government, whether at present or in the recent past, figure in the Pandora Papers list of those who had allegedly set up secret offshore companies. The papers were released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) on Sunday.

The opposition asked the prime minister to seek resignations from those ministers whose names had appeared in the Pandora Papers.

Formation of independent commission urged to probe Pandora Papers leaks

They even called for the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan over the issue while reminding him about his previous statements.

Talking to Dawn, PPP secretary general Nayyar Bokhari said that there was no use of the investigation cell if it would function under the prime minister. He said if the members of the investigation cell were supposed to report back to the prime minister instead of the judiciary, its fate would be the same as that of the commissions set up previously by the government to probe the wheat, sugar and petrol scams.

Mr Bokhari said like the Panama Papers case, the investigations of the Pandora Papers should be made through a judicial forum, saying that it was the Supreme Court which had set up a joint investigation team to probe the Panama Papers scam.

Mr Bokhari recalled that when the Panama Papers had surfaced, Imran Khan used to lecture that the prime minister and his cabinet should resign to present themselves before the inquiry to ensure transparency in the process. “Have those parameters changed now? Are these parameters not applicable to him (PM)?” asked Mr Bokhari.

PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb, through her official social media account on Twitter, said that investigations into the Pandora Papers were not possible as long as Imran Khan remained the prime minister.

She alleged that the prime minister had set up the cell to protect the members of “offshore cabinet and corrupt mafia”. She said Imran Khan would soon offer another “NRO”, a term used for offering an amnesty, “to the corrupt mafia as its patron”.

“First resign and then order investigations,” suggested Ms Aurangzeb. She termed the formation of the investigation cell another “joke” with the nation. She said previously the government had formed several so-called commissions to hold inquiry into the wheat, sugar, petrol, loans, medicines and Ring Road scams, but at the end, “all the offshore ministers and advisers” got a relief.

ANP President Asfandyar Wali Khan, in a statement, ridiculed the formation of the investigation cell “by the government which is itself involved in corruption”.

The ANP chief called for the formation of an independent and powerful commission to hold comprehensive investigations into the Pandora Papers within a timeframe. He said like the Panama Leaks, there were names of most of the people associated with the PTI or its allied parties in the latest offshore leaks and all of them were still roaming freely.

Mr Khan said the ANP had been a target of media trial as several times allegations had been made regarding assets of the party leaders in Malaysia and Dubai, but no one could prove it. He said accountability should be across the board to remove the impression of victimisation.

Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, in reply to a question about the opposition’s demand for resignations of the ministers whose names had appeared in the Pandora Papers, said the prime minister had already directed all of them to clear their names. He, however, said so far there had been no decision to seek resignation from anyone.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2021