Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced to set up a high-level judicial commission to investigate allegations being hurled against his family over Panama leaks.
“The commission will be headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court,” Prime Minister Sharif said in a televised address to the nation.
“This commission will investigate all the allegations and reveal facts before the nation. I also ask those making unfounded allegations to appear before the commission and present evidence,” he added.
The prime minister said that his focus was on steering the country out of darkness. “I don’t want to divert my attention from my prime duty of national development,” he said.
The prime minister maintained that he had no connection with the revelations of Panama leaks.
Some elements are trying to target me and my family for political gains, he lamented.
The prime minister gave detailed background of the business of the Sharif family and said foundations of this business were laid a few years before the establishment of Pakistan.
He said his father founded Ittefaq foundry in Lahore which became a stable industrial organisation till creation of Pakistan. He added that one of its branch was in Dhaka which became victim to Fall of Dhaka in 1971.
Sharif pointed out that within fifteen days of fall of Dhaka, the then Government of ZA Bhutto nationalized Ittefaq foundaries, which he claimed had become the largest steel, machinery and engineering industry in the then West Pakistan.
The prime minister said his father did not lose heart and within 18 months during ZA Bhutto rule, again established six new factories.
Sharif said that his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz had been doing legitimate business in London and Saudi Arabia according to their laws.
“During our forced exile, we set up a steel mill outside Makkah by getting loans from Saudi banks. The factory was then sold and my sons used that money to set up their new business ventures,” he said.
He rejected allegations that his family had got bank loans written off
