Army to play ‘due role’ in Sharif’s JIT probe
islamabad — Pakistan’s army is pledging that the corruption probe of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ’s family will be carried out in a “legal and transparent manner.”
Monday’s army statement comes after the Supreme Court last week ordered the investigation, postponing a decision that could have jeopardised Sharif’s political future.
The court acted on petitions dating back to documents leaked in 2016 from a Panama-based law firm, which had disclosed the Sharif family’s offshore wealth.
Military officials are to be part of the court-ordered Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which has two months to complete the investigation.
The allegations have been a serious blow to Sharif, with opposition parties demanding the premier, in power since 2013, resign over tax evasion and concealing foreign investment.
Sharif has defended his financial record. His family has acknowledged owning offshore businesses.
Participants of a Corps Commanders’ Conference at General Headquarters resolved that the military would play its due role as part of the JIT probing the prime minister and his family.
Inter-Services Public Relations said the forum discussed the apex court’s Panamagate verdict with special reference to the JIT ordered for investigation of the prime minister and his family’s wealth.
“The forum pledged that the institution through its members in the JIT shall play its due role in a legal and transparent manner fulfilling confidence reposed by the apex court,” the ISPR said. The JIT is to include officials from the National Accountability Bureau, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the State Bank of Pakistan, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI), and will be led by an assistant director general-level officer from the FIA, according to the SC order.
They also reviewed progress on Operation Raddul Fasaad, the army’s media wing said.
Meanwhile, according to a report, the JIT will not be able to obtain information from other countries through the multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters until September 2018.
Pakistan formally became a part of the 109-member Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) — the global regime that allows for information sharing regarding taxation and financial matters — in April 2017 and will begin to exchange and receive records of assets from next year. Under the multilateral convention, Pakistan will receive information regarding Pakistanis holding funds abroad and will begin to exchange similar information with other countries whose citizens hold accounts in Pakistan from July 2018. AP with inputs from Dawn online