Reacting to the revelation made in Pandora Papers, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday vowed to investigate all those Pakistanis mentioned in the Pandora Papers saying: “If any wrongdoing is established we will take appropriate action.”
“We welcome the Pandora Papers exposing the ill-gotten wealth of elites, accumulated through tax evasion & corruption & laundered out to financial "havens". The UN SG’s Panel FACTI calculated a staggering $7 trillion in stolen assets parked in largely offshore tax havens,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle.
We welcome the Pandora Papers exposing the ill-gotten wealth of elites, accumulated through tax evasion & corruption & laundered out to financial "havens". The UN SG’s Panel FACTI calculated a staggering $7 trillion in stolen assets parked in largely offshore tax havens.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 3, 2021
“I call on the international community to treat this grave injustice as similar to the climate change crisis,” he added.
My over-two decades struggle has been premised on the belief that countries are not poor but corruption causes poverty because money is diverted from being invested in our people. Also, this resource-theft causes devaluation, leading to thousands of poverty-related deaths.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 3, 2021
The premier said that his over-two decades struggle has been premised on the belief that countries are not poor but corruption causes poverty because money is diverted from being invested in our people, adding that this resource-theft causes devaluation, leading to thousands of poverty-related deaths.
"Just like the East India Company plundered the wealth of India, ruling elites of developing world are doing the same. Unfortunately, the rich states are neither interested in preventing this large-scale plunder nor in repatriating this looted money," PM wrote in another tweet.
Just like the East India Company plundered the wealth of India, ruling elites of developing world are doing the same. Unfortunately, the rich states are neither interested in preventing this large-scale plunder nor in repatriating this looted money.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 3, 2021
My govt will investigate all our citizens mentioned in the Pandora Papers & if any wrongdoing is established we will take appropriate action. I call on the international community to treat this grave injustice as similar to the climate change crisis.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 3, 2021
He said that If unchecked, inequalities between rich and poor states will increase as poverty rises in the latter. "This in turn will lead to a flood of economic migration from the poor to the rich states, causing further economic & social instability across the globe."
If unchecked, inequalities between rich & poor states will increase as poverty rises in the latter. This in turn will lead to a flood of economic migration from the poor to the rich states, causing further economic & social instability across the globe.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 3, 2021
The premier’s remarks came shortly after International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) released its new investigation into international finance and tax havens titled “Pandora Paper”.
Read more: Nearly 700 Pakistanis named in ‘Pandora Papers’
According to Express News, nearly 700 Pakistanis have been named in the report including Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, PPP leader Sharjeel Memon, PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar’s son Ali Dar, Punjab provincial minister Aleem Khan, PTI Senator Faisal Vawda, PML-Q Leader and Federal Minister for Water Resources Monis Elahi.
Besides, retired government officials, former and incumbent bureaucrats, businessmen including Axact’s owner Shoaib Ahmed Sheikh are also mentioned in the report.
Also read: Panama Papers exposé wins Pulitzer Prize
The ICIJ’s major investigation titled: “The Pandora Papers”, is said to be the result of 600 journalists in 117 countries studying for months roughly 11.9 million documents that leaked from the offshore environment.
Late on Saturday, the ICIJ announced that it was going to release the “most expansive exposé of financial secrecy yet”. In 2016, the ICIJ had released the Panama Papers, which took the world by storm and eventually led to the downfall of governments, including Nawaz Sharif.
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