ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice president and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday said that 700 people mentioned in the Pandora Papers should be put behind bars and an inquiry on the pattern of Panama Papers should be conducted against them.
Talking to reporters after appearing before Accountability Court in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) case, he said that if there is one justice system for all then the 700 people named in the Pandora Papers be sent to jail.
"These 700 people have the right to clear their position and it was the responsibility of the government to conduct an inquiry on the pattern of Panama Papers against those whose names were mentioned in the Pandora Papers," he said.
Abbasi said that former premier Nawaz Sharif was not named in Panama Papers but even then he appeared before the joint investigation team (JIT) formed to investigate the documents. Investigation of Pandora Papers should be held in a similar manner, he added.
While rejecting Prime Minister Imran Khan's move to establish a cell to investigate those Pakistani nationals whose names had appeared in the Pandora Papers, Abbasi said that it has no value because commissions have been formed in the past but no one has been punished. Earlier, he appeared before Accountability Court-II judge Muhammad Azam Khan in the LNG case against him and others.
During the hearing, Abbasi's counsel Barrister Zafarullah Khan conducted cross-examination of prosecution witness Syed Asim Ali Tirmizi. During the hearing, the witness said that he does not know whether the Mashal project was integrated or unbundled. As per record the project started in 2005 and cancelled in 2012.
He said that it is correct that LNG-3 started in 2012 and cancelled in 2013. It is correct that LNG 4 started in 2013 and ended in July 2013, he said, adding that LNG 5 was launched in February 2013 and July 2013. The witness said that it is correct to state, since the inception of the SSGCL till July 2013, it could not successfully commission any RNLG-related projects.
It is correct to say that the SSGCL failed to complete any RNLG project up to July 2013, he said. To another question, the witness said that it is correct to say the SSGCL did not have the capacity to draft a standard agreement between various parties of LNG supplier chain. We did not have the capacity to draft agreement according to the LNG policy and for these purposes the SSGCL hire the foreign consultant, he said.
He further said that it is correct to say the SSGCL did not have the capacity and experience even to negotiate RLNG contracts. It is correct that the SSGCL personnel required training for which they hire international consultant, he said. The court adjourned hearing of the case till October 12 after completion of cross examination of the witness.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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