ISLAMABAD – As the names of several Pakistanis are said to be on the Pandora Papers, a senior journalist has claimed that it also includes the name of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cousin.
Senior journalist Mubasher Lucman in one of his video clips revealed that the probe includes two offshore companies which are registered to the address of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The alleged offshore companies Hawk Field Limited and Lock Gate Investment are said to be a man named Fareedud Din Barki, a resident of House 2, Zaman Park, who is also a relative of Prime Minister Imran Khan, said Lucman.
Meanwhile, House number 2, Zaman Park is said to be divided into two residences, one is Barki’s house while the other one belongs to the premier.
The famous TV pundit, at the end of the viral clip, added that PM Imran is yet to comment on the Pandora Papers expose while he termed it a setback for the ruling PTI.
On the other hand, a private news channel approached Barki to comment on the matter. The offshore companies owner opposed the allegations, cited that the companies were registered by him on a different address and he also negated any role of the prime minister in this regard.
The companies owner, who is currently in Britain, also added that the confusion was created due to three similar addresses of House number 2 plot. He also refused to meet Imran Khan since he assumed charge as premier of the South Asian country.
As the countdown starts for the scandal which is said to be bigger than Panama, PM’s aide Shahbaz Gill said that Khan does not have a Benami account while he disclosed his offshore company before the court.
Federal Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain also commented on the matter saying the release of Pandora Leaks will open new avenues of transparency and discourage corruption. Fawad opined that the release of Pandora Papers will boost PM’s position.
پانامہ کی طرح پنڈورا لیکس میں غریب ممالک کا پیسہ بیرون ملک منتقل کرنے کی تفصیلات آتی ہیں تو اس سے وزیر اعظم عمران خان کے موقف کو مزید تقویت ملے گی ۔ ہمیں امید ہے کہ یہ تحقیقات بھی پانامہ تحقیقات کی طرح شفافیت کے نئے راستے کھولے گی اور کرپشن کی حوصلہ شکنی کا ایک اور موجب بنیں گی۔
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) October 3, 2021
The allegations about Khan’s offshore companies are not the first as earlier in 2017, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Frederik Obermaier claimed that Imran Khan avoided taxes using an offshore company while the premier also admitted during an interview that he was the founder of Niazi Services Limited (NSL) in 1983. The offshore company according to reports never declared before the Election Commission of Pakistan.
