Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday said that all mafias keep iqamas (residence permits) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because the UAE Central Bank is not bound to nor does it disclose bank account details of iqama holders.

“Iqama is a form of protection and an easy escape route. Under international agreements, UAE Central Bank must disclose all bank information of nonresidents’ bank accounts,” Imran said in a tweet. “The dishonesty of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and some of his ministers that is being revealed is shocking even for those of us who know their greed for money,” he added.

The PTI chief also urged UAE Central Bank to disclose all details of non-resident account holders under the international agreements.

The joint investigation team in its final report had exposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s employment with a UAE-based firm as its chairman.

Soon after the JIT’s startling revelation, the work permits of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Asif Khawaja, and Minister for Development and Planning Ahsan Iqbal also surfaced on social media, showing their employment with different companies in Dubai and Saudi Arabia.

On Tuesday, pictures of Defense Minister Khawaja Asif’s UAE work permit went viral on social media. In a series of tweets, PTI leader Usman Dar claimed to have acquired a copy of the UAE residence permit of the minister, who, he believed, would be disqualified under the Article 62 and 63 of the constitution for concealing such information from the Election Commission of Pakistan.

He said Khawaja Asif was found to be an employee of a UAE company besides being a federal minister. He had not mentioned his employment and income from the company in his nomination papers submitted in the ECP.

Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday had also confirmed holding the Kingdom’s work/residence permit for two years following the pictures of his permit went viral on social media. Expressing no regrets in a tweet, he said, “For anyone who is blessed to live and work in Madinah, it is a natural desire to keep Madinah resident status for as long as one can. No regrets.”

Published in Daily Times, July 28^th , 2017.