Islamabad: Emotions ran high at the national assembly session on Friday where the Panama Leaks came under discussion.
Information Minister Pervez Rashid said that the Prime Minister’s sons had not hidden their names in the offshore company accounts.
He said that the offshore companies had not harmed Pakistan in anyway. “Those who want to approach the Supreme Court are free to do so.”
He said that Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan also owned many offshore accounts, “But was hiding behind the garb of cancer patients,” hinting at Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital.
Over this the assembly hall echoed with “Go Imran Go” slogans, and PTI leaders Shireen Mazari and Murad Saeed stood on their chairs.
After the speaker reprimanded them for behaving childishly and warned of adjourning the session, the parliamentarians calmed down.
An emotional Shah Mahmood Qureshi from PTI said that the government should respect their arguments in the assembly. “When we were protesting on containers you told us to come to assembly with our arguments.”
Pakistan Peoples’ Party parliamentarian said that a democratic prime minister is accountable. “The PPP prime minister had resigned when the court ordered him to,” she said talking about Yousuf Raza Gillani’s ouster in 2012 following Supreme Court orders. “Panama Leaks is not the problem of opposition but an international issue,” she said.
The opposition on Tuesday rejected the judicial commission announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the wake of the Panama Papers leaks and called for a forensic audit of the offshore assets of his family by an international firm that will be independent of government pressure.
