Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Amir Sirajul Haq on Monday demanded a probe into Pakistanis who are involved in the Pandora leaks from the Supreme Court (SC).
The JI leader stated that he had previously filed a similar petition at the time the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed the establishment of offshore companies registered in Panama, through which illegal public money was relocated from various countries. The Panama leaks also named a number of Pakistani citizens involved.
Sirajul Haq said that while the investigation pertaining to the illegal transfer of funds via the said established companies was still underway, the ICIJ published yet another list of individuals engaged in transferring public money.
The petition further explained that the publishing of Pandora Papers is an extension of the Panama Leaks that were published in 2016. Both the leaks revolved around the transfer of public funds and establishing offshore companies.
It added, “The process of investigation in the matter is to be taken by the respondents, yet neither the names of those persons already announced by the Pandora Papers are being acknowledged by the respondents nor any action is proposed by the respondents against the said persons”.
The petition also noted, “Since a similar petition is also pending before this Honourable Court, therefore, the petitioner seeks the indulgence of this Honourable Court for a direction to the respondents for the purpose of inquiry/investigation”.
Siraj implored that “by allowing this petition, the names of the persons involved in the transfer of public money, as mentioned in Pandora Papers may also be allowed to be brought on the file for the purpose of inquiry/investigation”.
