Politicians, businessmen, retired generals among the 700 Pakistanis named in Pandora Papers
Several prominent Pakistanis have been named in the Pandora Papers – a leak of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 different firms located around the world.
Some 700 Pakistanis are listed in the Pandora Papers, published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), according to The News whose journalists in Pakistan were part of the research.
The Pandora Papers reveal that Pakistan’s cabinet ministers and their families, donors and other political allies of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government have holdings hidden offshore.
Who has been named?
Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, Senator Faisal Vawda, water resources minister and PML-Q leader Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, brother of Minister for Industries and Production Khusro Bakhtiar, Ishaq Dar’s son, PPP’s Sharjeel Memon, PTI leader Abdul Aleem Khan, Axact CEO Shoaib Sheikh, are among those with alleged links to offshore companies.
Some of the prominent Pakistanis including politicians, businessmen and retired generals and their families named in the leaks:
Politicians
- Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin and members of Tarin’s family, own four offshore companies.
- Senator Faisal Vawda had set up an offshore company in 2012 to invest in U.K. properties,
- Punjab Minister Aleem Khan
- Water Resources Minister Chaudhry Moonis Elahi
- Ali Dar, son for former finance minister and PML-N’s Ishaq Dar
- PPP’s Sharjeel Memon
- Omer Bakhtiar, the brother of federal industries minister Khusro Bakhtiar
- Son of PM’s former finance and revenue advisor, Waqar Masood Khan.
- PTI donor Arif Naqvi
- PTI donor Tariq Shafi
- Wife of PML-Q boss Chaudhry Pervez Elahi
- Former FBR chairman and finance secretary Salman Siddiq’s son Yawar Salman
Media moguls
- Jang Group publisher Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman
- Dawn Group’s publisher Hameed Haroon
- Express Group’s Sultan Lakhani
- Pakistan Today’s late Arif Nizami
- Gourmet Pakistan’s owners who also run a news channel GNN
Businessmen and sponsors
- Axact and Bol TV owner Shoaib Malik
- Tariq Shafi, a leading businessman and another PTI donor
- Top PTI donor Arif Naqvi, who is facing fraud charges in the United States
- National Bank of Pakistan President Arif Usmani
- National Investment Trust Managing Director Adnan Afridi
- Peshawar Zalmi owner and renowned industrialist Javed Afridi
Former military generals
- Raja Nadir Pervez, a retired army lieutenant colonel, whose firm International Finance & Equipment Ltd, is involved in machinery and related businesses in India, Thailand, Russia and China.
- Retired Maj Gen Nusrat Naeem, the ISI’s onetime director general of counterintelligence, who owned a BVI company, Afghan Oil & Gas Ltd registered in 2009 shortly after his retirement.
- Umar and Ahad Khattak, sons of the former head of Pakistan’s air force, Abbas Khattak
- Son of retired Lieutenant General Muzaffar Afzal
- Sister of retired Lt Gen Ali Quli Khan Khattak
- Wife of former defense production secretary Lt Gen (retd) Tanvir Tahir
- Wife of retired Lt Gen Shafaat Ullah Shah
- Retired Lt Gen Habibullah Khan Khattak’s daughter Shahnaz Sajjad Ahmad (also the sister of retired Lt Gen Ali Kuli Khan and sister-in-law of former federal minister Gohar Ayub Khan)
- Retired Lt Gen Khalid Maqbool’s son-in-law Ahsan Latif
- Retired Lt Gen Tanvir Tahir’s wife Zahra Tanvir
The most extensive leak of tax haven files in history reveals the secret offshore holdings of more than 300 politicians and public officials from more than 90 countries and territories. They are facing allegations ranging from corruption to money laundering and global tax avoidance.
PM Khan vows to investigate Pakistanis named in Pandora Leaks
PM Imran Khan said his government will investigate all Pakistani citizens mentioned in the Pandora Papers. “If any wrongdoing is established, we will take appropriate action,” he said on Twitter. Khan welcomed “the Pandora Papers exposing the ill-gotten wealth of elites, accumulated through tax evasion, and corruption, and laundered out to financial havens.”