KARACHI - The entire Pakistani nation is united on the Panama Papers issue and wants accountability so that the country can move towards prosperity and development, says Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Speaking to media men at a “Meet the Press” session at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Monday, Qureshi said that Panamagate was a critical issue and corrupt elements must be punished. He said that corrupt people would become more daring if those involved in the Panama scandal are not punished. He said that corruption was the biggest problem in Pakistan and it was only Imran Khan who was fighting against this menace. He said the PTI started a movement to awaken the masses and prepare them for a battle, which would rid the country of its corrupt rulers. He said that now the ball was in Supreme Court’s court and the nation was looking towards the court. He said that apex court's decision would be historic. He said that a protest movement was launched because Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seemed in no mood to frame terms of reference (TORs) for a judicial commission, which was supposed to investigate the Panama Papers scandal.
The PTI vice chairman said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) should have taken action against Nawaz Sharif soon after the Panama Papers reports came to the fore. He said the PTI would bring real and true democracy in Pakistan, as it had become the most powerful political force in the county.
Qureshi said the PTI was blamed for solo flight, but it made every effort to take all opposition political parties along on the issue of Panama leaks. However, he said, the government was not ready to frame the TORs. He said the PTI was left with no option but to resort to mass protests.
To a question about party leadership’s decision to change the prosecutor for the Panama case, Qureshi said that Hamid Khan had submitted an application to the PTI chairman and said the media campaign against him made it impossible for him to represent the PTI in the apex court further. He said that Khan had requested to step down from the position. He said that now Naeem Bokhari and a panel of senior lawyers, including Babar Awan, were representing the PTI in the Supreme Court in the Panama leaks case.