Story Highlights
Panama Leaks
Confidential documents leaked from one of the most secretive companies, Mossack Fonseca, has taken the world by storm as it revealed how the rich and powerful across the world use tax havens to hide their wealth. In that report more than 200 Pakistanis including politicians, lawmakers, lawyers, and businessmen have also been identified. The report has also revealed off- shore wealth of ruling Sharif family, which has drawn strong criticism from opposition parties.
The report contains names of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s relatives, Benazir Bhutto, Senator Rehman Malik, serving judge of Lahore High Court Justice Farrukh Irfan; retired judge Malik Qayyum and hotel tycoon Sadruddin Hashwani. The report has put severe pressure on Sharif family to explain the nation as to what was the source of this huge wealth and why didn’t they declare these assets to the tax department and the Election Commission of Pakistan. In a press interview Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz maintained that all their business affairs were ‘legal’.
As opposition parties started demanding the prime minister present himself and his family before a judicial commission, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his televised address to the nation rubbished all allegations. Prime minister also announced to set up a ‘judicial commission’ headed by a former chief Justice of Supreme Court, to probe the matter and ascertain the facts about allegations of any wrongdoings on the part of his family and their involvement in off-shore companies.
War Against terror
The operation against militants has been spread from tribal region to urban areas. After Lahore bombing last month which left more than 70 people dead, law enforcement agencies are now nabbing criminals in Punjab. A series of meetings between civil and military governments took place this week. In these meetings, the army has been pushing the civilian side to take ownership of the operations. However, according to media reports the government is adamant that it is the provincial government’s prerogative to seek the help of armed forces and that it would do it depending on the nature of the threat.
Meanwhile twelve militants were killed and several others injured in a gunbattle with security forces in Kurram tribal region. According to media reports, the clash near the Afghan border in tehsil of Kurram erupted after the militants stormed a checkpost of Frontier Corps. Moreover the army has claimed to have made massive gains in the ongoing operation against militants in Shawal area of North Waziristan Agency. Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that since the launch of the last phase of Zarb-i-Azb military operation in February, troops had cleared an area of 640 square kilometres in the mountainous region adjacent to Afghanistan. Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif also reviewed progress of work on infrastructure projects in North and South Waziristan as envisaged in the master plan.
Pak – India
The Foreign Office of Pakistan has said that it was ready to work with India to prevent an arms race in the region, stressing that the two countries needed to devote their resources for their people’s uplift. Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria was responding to a query relating to President Obama’s comments at the Nuclear Security Summit last week, in which he had asked India and Pakistan to work towards reducing their nuclear arsenal and develop military doctrines. Mr Zakaria said the government had taken note of President Obama’s call. India has remained opposed to the proposal and avoided negotiations on the matter.
Pakistan has also said that normal and peaceful relationship with India could not be achieved by putting the issue of Kashmir on the back-burner. High Commissioner Abdul Basit while speaking to the media described the current state of the composite dialogue as effectively suspended. Meanwhile the Foreign Office said that Pakistani investigators who visited India for the Pathankot attack probe received limited cooperation from Indian authorities. It said in a statement that no conclusions had been reached in the investigations, which were ongoing.
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