Urdu Ghazal - Malika Pukhraj & Tahira Syed - Abhi To Main Jawan Hoon

Former President Asif Ali Zardari condemns the attack on FC Personnel near Turbat

پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی پارلیمنٹیرینز کے صدر اور سابق صدر پاکستان آصف علی زرداری نے تربت کے قریب دہشتگردوں کی طرف سے فرنٹیئر کور کے جوانوں پر حملے کی سخت الفاظ میں مذمت کرتے ہوئے کہا ہے کہ ایف سی کے جوانوں کی قربانی رائیگاں نہیں جائے گی۔ شکست شدت پسندوں اور دہشتگردوں کا مقدر ہے۔ سابق صدر نے ایف سی کے شہداءکے ورثاءسے تعزیت اور ہمدردی کا اظہار کیا۔ انہوں نے شہداءکے اعلیٰ درجات، زخمیوں کی جلد صحتیابی کے لئے دعا کی۔ انہوں نے متاثرہ خاندانوں کے ساتھ ہمدردی کا اظہار کیا۔

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Pakistan - Sharif`s finances in foreign tax havens not accessible to JIT

Even before the formation of a seven-member joint investigation team (JIT) on the money trail of assets owned by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family, in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Court, new questions have arisen over its supposed modus operandi.

The JIT team will not be able to obtain information from other countries over tax details of the Sharifs through the multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters until September 2018.

Pakistan formally became a part of the 109-member Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in April 2017; according to its laws, member States will begin to exchange and receive records of assets from next year.

Under the convention, Pakistan will receive details of its citizens holding funds abroad and will exchange similar information with other countries whose citizens hold bank accounts in Pakistan from July 2018.

Interestingly, Pakistan is not a member of any bilateral treaty with nine other tax havens, identified in the leaks.

Reports suggest, most individuals named in the leaks are said to have accounts in the British Virgin Islands, followed by Bahamas, Panama, Seychelles, Niue, Samoa, Mauritius, Anguilla and Jersey.

Pakistan reached out to the nine tax havens seeking access to details regarding offshore companies. Only Samoa replied; in the negative.

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered further investigations into corruption allegations levelled by the opposition against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, saying there was insufficient evidence to order his removal from office.

"A thorough investigation is required," Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said, announcing the highly anticipated decision following a months-long hearing stemming from the Panama Papers leak last year that linked PM Sharif´s children to offshore businesses.

The verdict ordered the formation of a Joint Investigation team (JIT) to carry out an investigation into how Gulf Steel Mill came into being, its sale and liabilities, how the sale proceeds ended up in Jeddah, Qatar and the UK. How the prime minister's children at their tender age had the means to purchase the flats in the early nineties.

It further raised questions regarding the letters written by Qatari Prince Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al-Thani, how the bearer shares crystilised into the flats, who the real owner and beneficiary of the offshore company Neilsen Enterprises and Nescol Limited was, how Hill Metal Establishment came into existence; where the funds for Flagship Investment Limited and other companies set up by Hasan Nawaz Sharif came from and where working capital came from and the source of millions gifted by Hussein Nawaz Sharif to his father originated from.

To seek answers to the questions raised, the Supreme Court ordered the formation of a JIT to investigate and present its report every two weeks before a Supreme Court bench. The court also ordered Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and his sons Hasan and Hussein to appear before the JIT as and when required, which will complete its investigation within 60 days of its formation.

The order further added, that after receiving the JIT reports, periodic or final, the matter of disqualification of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif shall be considered.

Observing that the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had failed to carry out his duties, the apex court ordered the JIT to comprise one senior official each from NAB, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and the Military Intelligence (MI) will be tasked to carry out the probe.

The detailed decision by the apex court comprised 549 pages, with the verdict split 3-2 between the five-member apex court bench.

Pakistan - Panama and our morality crisis

Imtiaz Gul


There are plenty of examples from around the world where incumbents faced with public criticism over corruption charges had bowed out of politics.

Pakistan’s ruling elite is not known for drawing moral lessons from its experiences.

The elite know that its money and muscle can help it find its way through the system with the help of highly-paid barristers on its side. When barristers represent tainted property tycoons only to please their political bosses or when they take up cases only to fatten their bank accounts, one can rest assured that there is little room in the country for principles and morality.

Against this context, it should be obvious that the Panama Papers case before the Supreme Court was never just a legal battle. As seen over the course of several months, lawyers defending the ruling party had multiple tricks up their sleeves to drag the proceedings. They even deployed dirty tricks such as the submission before the bench of a letter from a notorious Qatari prince.

The case should not be seen as having a political impact either. The divided opposition never represented a real threat to the ruling PML-N. The party’s majority in the Punjab and the National assemblies, won through a politics of patronage mastered over the past three decades, gives the Sharif brothers enough confidence to ignore dissenting voices in and out of the Parliament. What matters most to them is protection of their political empire and business interests. Personal honour and integrity hardly seems to be a concern to them.

Yet, the dominant majority of frustrated and helpless Pakistanis still aspire for a society where rule of law can be applied to the mighty as well as the weak.

Those of us hoping that the Supreme Court could possibly rattle the consciences of those under question seem to have been proved wrong.

Those unending arguments before the Court had essentially stemmed from a crisis of moral integrity ailing our ruling elite. For the elite, what matters is the parliamentary majority alone. Moral authority seems to be of no relevance to them.

That is why all hopes and expectations of a consequential judgment in the Panama Papers case were really a case of wishful thinking. Our society’s ruling elite thrives on the nexus between politics, business and civil-military bureaucracy. This nexus is too strong to ignore. It seems even the courts think several times before daring to “set a dangerous precedent” such as disqualifying the prime minister over financial fraud and deceitful conduct.

There were plenty of examples from around the globe where incumbents faced with public criticism over corruption charges had bowed out of politics or even ended their lives to salvage some pride.

In 1986, a chief minister of a Federal German province Uwe Barschel had taken his life after it was proven that he had lied under oath. Another German statesman Willy Brandt had instantly resigned from his party office over criticisms regarding “willful decisions and nepotism.” In February 2012, a German leader, former president Christian Wolff, had tendered his resignation after prosecutors asked the Parliament – the Bundestag – to end his immunity from prosecution over accusations of improper ties to businessmen.

Japan, too, is known instances of resignations by prime ministers and other ministers. Excerpts from an article on the subject that appeared in the US journal The Atlantic (June, 2011) merit reproduction here:

“So why is Japan different? Why do its top officials resign from office, seemingly, at the drop of a hat? The theories are endless, most of them relying on oft-repeated but simplistic stereotypes about the supposed centrality of honour, saving face, and respect in Japanese culture. But if these traits really are so important to Japanese culture, then the same could be said of Arab culture. But, clearly, Arab political leaders feel no compunction to step down, even if they become so loathed that the country rises up by the millions to demand their exit.”

As the citation suggests, it is compunction that triggers a resignation ie drawing moral lessons from an instance. However, such behaviour seems to work in societies where systems are raised on principles and not personal whims and where moral authority of public office holders trumps the holder’s individual interests.

So, we should neither be surprised nor shocked over events that have unfolded since April 20. The status quo refuses to give in. Yet, status quo forces will never be the same post-SC verdict. Inspired by the split decision, clouds of dissent and critique will grow and thicken as days go by.

It will be interesting to see how the SC eventually closes this case based on the JIT investigation, though one should not be very excited about the prospects of the JIT investigation.

The Panama Papers issue did not require a months-long litigation at the Supreme Court. It also did not need any JIT as ordered by the court itself. It should have been settled last year through a voluntary exit and an apology.