ISLAMABAD: The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) approached the apex court against the persons whose names have appeared in the Pandora Papers.
JI Ameer Sirajul Haq, on Monday, filed a civil miscellaneous application (CMA) in the apex court for submitting additional documents in his petition, already pending. It sought action against the persons whose names have appeared in the Panama leaks and the Pandora Papers.
The CMA mentioned that the names of a number of Pakistanis have appeared in the Panama leaks and the Pandora Papers, who have established offshore companies in Panama and Virgin Island.
However, the federal government has so far taken no action against them.
The application stated that since the similar petition is pending before the Supreme Court; therefore, the petitioner seeks the indulgence of the Court for a direction to the federal government for the purpose of inquiry/ investigation.
The JI through fresh application prayed that it be allowed to place the names of those whose names have appeared in Pandora Papers.
When the Panama Papers were released in April 2016, various petitions were filed in the Supreme Court, which directed the SECP, the SBP, the FIA, and the FBR to investigate the matter.
However, the apex court proceeded against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and disqualified him on the basis of ‘Iqama’, while no action was taken against a majority of the citizens named in the papers.
The SECP, the SBP, the FIA, and the FBR also failed to initiate any tangible action against them.
Last month, Transparency International (TI) Managing Director Syed Adil Gillani also filed a petition in the Supreme Court urging it to order the federal government and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to seek the sources of funds, and how money from Pakistan was transferred to offshore companies by those named in Pandora Papers and Panama Papers.
The TI-P had demanded that if the Pakistani citizens whose name appeared in Panama Papers and Pandora Papers are unable to satisfy and provide reasonable justification within three months about their foreign assets and that Foreign Assets (Declaration and Repatriation) Act, 2018, is not applicable on them then the FBR freeze their accounts, confiscate their properties and initiate proceedings under Article 51/52/53/54/55/56/57/58, Chapter V (Asset Recovery) of Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative included in the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) ratified by Government of Pakistan in August 2007.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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