Pakistan’s ruling Sharif family on Monday defended ownership of offshore companies after they were named in one of the biggest leaks in the country.
Pakistan’s ruling Sharif family on Monday defended ownership of offshore companies after they were named in one of the biggest leaks in the country.
Information minister Pervez Rashid strongly rejected allegations of corruption levelled by Panama Papers against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members.
Talking to reporters here, the minister claimed the Prime Minister had no foreign assets. He said his two sons were doing businesses abroad like hundreds of thousands of other Pakistanis doing the same in other countries.
“Their assets are in accordance with the law as they pay the taxes and they have established their businesses through white money,” he added.
Lashing out at Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf led by Imran Khan, the information minister said Mr Khan’s children themselves were living in a foreign country and getting the education there. He said Imran Khan should apologise over levelling baseless allegations of corruption.
Mr Rashid said the Prime Minister has given unprecedented mega-projects to the country and even his worst enemies could not prove any corruption against him.
He said given the challenges faced by the country including terrorism, mudslinging should be avoided for the better future of the country.
Earlier, the Panama Papers whipped a storm of controversy over off-shore wealth, ensnaring political leaders, sports figures and underworld members across the globe in a snowballing scandal.
The leak, comprising 11.5 million documents from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, shows how some of the world’s most powerful people have secreted away their money in offshore jurisdictions.
Among those named are three of Nawaz Sharif’s four children – Maryam Nawaz Sharif, who has been tipped to be his political successor; Hasan Nawaz Sharif and Hussain Nawaz Sharif with the records showing they owned London real estate through offshore companies administrated by the firm.
“There are more than 200 Pakistanis which our report has identified, and they include lawyers, lawmakers and some people from the judiciary,” he said.
Opposition leader Imran Khan issued a swift call for action against Mr Sharif after the release. “Our stance vindicated again as Sharif’s wealth stashed abroad exposed,” he tweeted, adding the country’s accountability watchdog, tax authorities and election commission “must take action”. But Mr Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz Sharif said his family had done ‘nothing wrong.’
“Those apartments are ours and those offshore companies are also ours,” he said in comments aired by a Pakistani television channel on Monday.
“There is nothing wrong with it and I have never concealed them,” he added.
