Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Following his maiden appearance before a joint investigation team (JIT) constituted by the Supreme Court to probe Sharif family’s business dealings abroad, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif warned that the country had already paid a heavy price of ‘conspiracies’ and that both national security as well as democracy in the country will be jeopardised if the practice is not stopped now.

“If the special-agenda factories, trampling the mandate of the people and the democracy, do not wind up their business now, the national security and democracy in the country would be jeopardised,” the prime minister told reporters while reading from a written statement in Urdu language outside the Federal Judicial Academy where he faced an almost three-hour questioning related to the Panama Papers scandal.

“It is now time that the emblem of truth and right be upheld,” he said, claiming that charges against him had nothing to do with embezzlement of national exchequer but were related to his private family business. “People of Pakistan need to understand that whatever is happening today has nothing to do with any corruption or embezzlement of the national exchequre … but it is the personal and private business of our family that is being dragged,” he said.

The prime minister said the accountability of his family started even before his birth in 1936 and that spanned over generations. He said his family was the sole example of braving the cruel phases of accountability for three generations. He said all his family assets were nationalized in 1972 during the era of his political rival Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and even his residences were occupied during the dictatorship of General (r) Pervez Musharraf.

The prime minister said he had presented his stance before the JIT and mentioned that details of his assets and resources had already been submitted with the relevant institutions, including the Supreme Court.

“Today, I and my entire family have presented ourselves for accountability,” he said and stressed that he had given account of his each and every penny.

The prime minister, who was flanked by son Hussain Nawaz and nephew Hamza Shahbaz, said in the next few days the JIT and the Supreme Court will give their verdicts, “but the next JIT will comprise of 200 million Pakistanis and we will all have to present ourselves before them.” The prime minister said beyond that “there is Allah Almighty who is over and beyond such institutions and knows fully well the obvious and the hidden.”

The prime minister said his family would succeed against all odds and conspiracies and the people would stand with him in the next general election with more enthusiasm than they showed in 2013. “We will not let the wheel of history turn in opposite direction. The days of games behind the scenes are now over. There can be no more puppet games anymore.”

Sources said the questions asked from revolved around different positions he had taken with reference to London properties and the source of funding for their purchases; his role in Hudaybia Paper Mills case; documents to show until when he had been part of the board of directors or managements of other family businesses; his knowledge of the funds transferred through and into the accounts mentioned in Ishaq Dar’s affidavit; the role he played in businesses of his sons and whether or not he provided or received any financial help to or from them; his sources of income; his knowledge of the sale of the Gulf Steel; and an explanation of his statement before parliament on the issue of the steel mills in Jeddah.