Video Report - 🇪🇹 How could a new region change southern Ethiopia?

Video Report - African economic recovery remains vulnerable: World Bank

Video Report - Fauci on Child Vaccinations, Boosters and Merck Covid Pill

Video - Biden travels to Michigan to promote economic agenda as negotiations continue in Washington

Video - Anderson Cooper: Facebook likes to say it brings people together

سپریم کورٹ احاطے میں دھاندلی، ملازمین کی سوسائٹی کے اجلاس میں ممبران کی شرکت پر پابند

#PandoraPapers #PandoraLeaks #Pakistan - Pandora Papers are more detailed than Panama leaks but will those named be investigated properly? - The Pandora Papers

Zahid Hussain

 @hidhussain

THE Pandora Papers have exposed the shadowy world of sleaze and ill-gotten wealth stashed away in offshore companies by the rich and powerful around the world. Among them are both current and former leaders of various countries. Several hundred Pakistanis including politicians, former military generals, bureaucrats and businessmen are also on the list. They include those who own assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars in various parts of the world.

According to the leaked data, Pakistanis are the fifth largest investors in property in London’s most expensive neighbourhoods. Inevitably, this kind of wealth raises questions about their source of funds. It’s not an issue of legality of offshore companies but of the use of shell companies to cover up secret finances and shady deals. These tax havens are used to park illegal wealth.

It’s not for the first time that such a disclosure about offshore wealth has been made. But the Pandora Papers reveal a far larger repository of information on possibly dubious transactions involving public officials including sitting federal ministers and some other powerful people connected to the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan. More than 700 Pakistanis have been named in the offshore affair. No one, however powerful, should escape accountability.

While the Panama leaks some years ago led to the fall of the third-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the latest disclosure has put to test the intentions of the PTI government which came to power on the slogan of ‘anti-corruption’. The prime minister has set up a ‘high-powered cell’, headed by the federal law minister to investigate the matter. The very composition of the cell under a federal minister raises questions about the credibility of the inquiry into charges of suspicious financial transactions against fellow members of the cabinet.There is no indication yet that the federal ministers named in the Pandora Papers will be asked to step down to allow an independent inquiry to take place. Curiously, NAB is to investigate the cases of the federal ministers mentioned in the latest leaks.Given NAB’s dubious reputation there is little hope of an impartial investigation against powerful sitting federal ministers and others closely associated with the government. There is little public faith in the country’s investigative agencies, which are working under the government. One can hardly expect them to bring the rich and powerful to justice. It is often a selective process, targeting people on political grounds.

While the entire investigation in what was described as ‘Panamagate’ was focused on Nawaz Sharif and his family, there has not been any report regarding investigations against 300 other people whose names appeared in those leaks. Some of those names have appeared in the Pandora Papers as well. The latest leaked data on some federal ministers, retired military generals and public officials are much more damning.

Perhaps the most sensational disclosure in the Pandora Papers concerns Moonis Elahi and his family. A member of the PML-Q and a scion of one of the most powerful political families in Punjab, Elahi was inducted into the federal cabinet as a minister a few months ago. According to a report published in the Guardian, and based on the Pandora Papers, Elahi and his family own prime properties in London worth millions of pounds. Elahi reportedly had plans to invest via an offshore company. His source of funds was apparently a £33 million sale of a sugar mill complex in Pakistan.

NAB and other agencies had earlier investigated the Elahi family for corruption. But those inquiries were suspended for ‘political reasons’. The prime minister could not afford to antagonise the PML-Q whose support is critical to the PTI government in Punjab and at the centre.

Political expediency may come in the way of taking any action against the minister and other members of his family despite the evidence. Two other federal ministers Shaukat Tarin and Khusro Bakhtiyar, and Faisal Vawda, a former cabinet minister, also figure in the leaks. Equally sensational revelations in the Pandora Papers concern retired military generals and their family members who acquired properties in London through offshore companies. One of them is retired Lt-Gen Shafaat Ullah Shah, who once served as military secretary to the former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf. According to the leaks he bought an apartment in the UK under his wife’s name for £1.2m through an offshore company in 2007 when he was still in service.

He claims that he got the money selling a plot in Lahore. He said in a statement that he bought the property in his wife’s name for tax purposes as he had other properties in Pakistan under his name. He also said he informed the army about the purchase.

But all these explanations leave many questions unanswered. Should a serving senior officer be allowed to acquire property abroad through an offshore account? The property was reportedly transferred by an offshore company owned by a wealthy Indian businessman with alleged links to the underworld giving the whole deal a dubious colour.

It is not enough to say that there is nothing illegal about offshore companies used for buying properties; the real issue is their being used for stashing illegal wealth and for money laundering. There are many other retired military officers and their family members whose names have appeared in the Pandora Papers. It’s imperative to investigate their sources of their wealth. No one, however powerful, should escape accountability.

The Pandora Papers reveal the inner workings of a shadowy financial world of global offshore companies that are used for the most part to hide ill-gotten wealth and to evade taxes. Billions of dollars, which are siphoned off by corrupt public officials, are parked in these shadowy shell companies. Sure some of the offshore assets are declared and used for business purposes. But there is a need for strict accountability of those who hold public office. There is also a need for making the accountability process more effective and impartial. Unfortunately, the PTI government has done nothing to stop the rot beyond its anti-corruption rhetoric.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1650412/the-pandora-papers

EDITORIAL: #Pakistan - Zeroing in on #Pandora Papers

Now that the immediate shock of the Pandora Papers has passed and the issue has moved away from front-page headlines, perhaps its time to take a closer look at some of the names on the list. Such is the nature of politics that those in government come under the spotlight rather more quickly than others. And even though Prime Minister Imran Khan has appeared completely unstained from this controversy, some of his lieutenants and coalition members have not. And the most questions being asked right now concern Moonis Elahi and Faisal Vowda; both never free of controversy for too long even in the best of times.

Both also seem to carry a fair amount of baggage and allegedly move their money around onshore and offshore companies through middlemen. The thing with front men, though, is that owing to the rather dubious nature of their job they turn out to be shady characters more often than not. Moonis has already once had a hard time explaining his actions when his father enjoyed a rather elevated position during the last PPP government and only got off the hook because of a rare thaw between PPP and PML-Q at the time. No doubt some cases against the Chaudharys of Gujrat and their family members were politically motivated, as is often the case in such countries, but that’s not to say that none of them raised any serious questions, which will eventually have to be answered. PM Imran Khan resisted including Moonis in the cabinet for the longest time, largely because of his own previous statements about this family, yet the Chaudharis are not known as political geniuses for nothing. Their political wisdom is second to none. And even now, with very limited seats, they are more or less calling the shots in Punjab.

It would have been better for Moonis’s spokesperson to point out that owning offshore companies was not a crime in itself; unless, of course, they were used for moving black money and evading taxes, for which reasons they were not disclosed to tax authorities. That’s a much better line to take than playing the victim card. He’s flatly rejected owing any offshore company or possessing any wealth that he’s not disclosed, and appears confident about any investigation that might take place. So, time will tell how he fares. Faisal Vowda has a pretty checkered past as well. He didn’t exactly rise to his party’s ideals when he hid is dual nationality, wasted the court’s time and dodged the ECP on the matter; and then took a big favour from his boss in the form of a Senate seat. But then he incurred the wrath of the same job when the reelection for his vacated seat led to much embarrassment and humiliation for the party.

The PM compromised to accommodate both these gentlemen in different ways. And he’s had reason to regret his decision on both occasions. Now, with their name appearing in the Pandora Papers, their alleged offshore companies and wealth need to be explained, both to the public and their boss.

https://dailytimes.com.pk/825674/zeroing-in-on-pandora-papers/

Why ISI chief Lt Gen Hameed’s appointment as Corps Commander is promotion, not punishment

 SNEHESH ALEX PHILIP

Lt Gen Faiz Hameed's appointment as Peshawar Corps Commander paves the way for him to be in contention to become the next Pakistan Army chief.

In a move that will have ramifications not just in Afghanistan but also Pakistan’s military future, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed was appointed as the Peshawar Corps Commander Wednesday.He will be replaced by Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum, who was previously the commander of the Karachi Corps. Anjum was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in September 2019 and is junior to Lt Gen Hameed who got his rank in April that year.

While there is much speculation in strategic circles behind Lt Gen Hameed’s transfer out of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, sources in the Indian defence and security establishment told ThePrint that the development is like a promotion for the Pakistani officer.

They noted that his appointment as Corps Commander paves the way for him to be in contention to become the next Army chief when current chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who is on extension, retires in November 2022.

Under Pakistani Army law, one needs to have a tenure of at least six months as the Corps Commander to be eligible to become Army chief.

Lt Gen Hameed, who is known as a hardliner and for being ruthless in his approach, is scheduled to retire only in April 2023.

Brushing aside claims that there has been a rift between Lt Gen Hameed and Army chief Bajwa, sources added that not only are the two close but the former is also close to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

ISI chief made Corps Commander after first plan did not materialise Another set of sources noted that there had first been an internal attempt to make the post of ISI chief equivalent to that of Corps Commander, to ensure Lt Gen Hameed becomes eligible for the post of Pakistan Army chief.

However, this internal change could not take place and thus, he had to be appointed as Corps Commander.

Sources also pointed out that Lt Gen Hameed’s appointment as the Peshawar Corps Commander is of huge significance because he will have a prominent role in issues involving Afghanistan and the Taliban.

Furthermore, the new ISI chief, Lt Gen Anjum, is seen as a “professional officer” in Pakistan, which means that he is not personally ambitious and is expected to follow the Army chief.

Consequently, sources said that Lt Gen Hameed will continue to have close interactions with the ISI, Army chief and also the Prime Minister due to his appointment as the Peshawar Corps Commander.According to Ayesha Siddiqa, an independent political and military analyst of Pakistan, Lt Gen Hameed’s appointment as the Peshawar Corps Commander will help him gain experience of dealing with the Americans and the Chinese since both parties have a stake in Afghanistan.

“This is a natural succession which will also see him in contention for becoming the next Army chief when Gen Bajwa retires,” she told ThePrint.

Took charge as ISI chief in 2019

Lt Gen Hameed had taken over as the ISI chief on 16 June 2019, in a surprise military shake-up. He had previously served in the ISI as the head of the powerful internal security wing.

He had replaced Lt Gen. Asim Munir, who had taken office as the intelligence agency’s chief just eight months earlier.

Lt Gen Hameed was promoted as Lt Gen in April 2019 and at the time, was appointed as Adjutant General at the General Head­quarters (GHQ) of the Pakistani Army.

In a column for ThePrint, published in April 2019, Siddiqa wrote that Lt Gen Hameed was a “manipulator” who played a key role in building the 2017 protest of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), an extremist political party, to weaken the then Nawaz Sharif government.He was also accused of manipulating a peace deal with militants from Barelvi, a Sunni revivalist movement. Both these instances were criticised by the country’s Supreme Court in 2019.

https://theprint.in/world/why-isi-chief-lt-gen-hameeds-appointment-as-corps-commander-is-promotion-not-punishment/746380/

#Pakistan #PPP - We can easily fight this puppet govt: Bilawal

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that if we can fight dictators then we can easily fight this puppet government.

Addressing a rally in Kotli, Bilawal said that the people of Azad Kashmir have fought against rigging. He announced that the jialas of PPP were ready for the final battle and they are making a stand against Imran Khan's puppet government.

We have fought against dictators and oppressors, this puppet government is nothing, he stated, adding that it is necessary for every jiyala to go to prison as it is their training ground.

Bilawal Bhutto said that like the Federation and the Punjab, Kashmir also has a puppet government. This present government is the enemy of the people specially the poor as it has made 16,000 families unemployed, he proclaimed.

In the October 10 by-elections, you have to vote for the arrow, he urged the rally adding that you have to give this seat to the PPP so that we can fight anti-Kashmir elements.

“What has the new government done for you?” the PPP chairman questioned the people. Imran Khan promised he will bring honor to the green passport and people will come from abroad to do jobs here, he questioned asserting that in fact this government has not kept any of its promises.

The truth is that if transparent elections are held tomorrow, PPP will form a government and the prime minister will be a jiala, declared Bilawal.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2323505/we-can-easily-fight-this-puppet-govt-bilawal