Pandora Papers: Opposition demands Pakistan PM Imran Khan's resignation

Islamabad: Opposition leader and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Sunday demanded the resignation of Pakistan`s Prime Minister Imran Khan over the Pandora Papers.

While addressing a press conference, PML-N Secretary-General Ahsan Iqbal Iqbal said that Khan should resign as his name appeared in the Toshakhana case and it would also appear in Pandora Papers, reports The Nation.

"After Imran Khan`s name surfaced in Pandora leaks, there is no moral justification for him to retain the post of the premier," Iqbal said.

Iqbal said that Khan`s Pandora box is about to open. He also said that Khan who bragged about being a champion of the anti-corruption campaign was himself hiding facts on his foreign gifts, by hiding details about the received gifts, The Nation reported.

He also blamed Khan for the rising inflation in Pakistan, which was the result of his government`s bad policies. 

"Today a person who earns Pakistani Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 a month cannot bear the expenses of his household honourably," he added.

The Pandora Papers has revealed names of 700 Pakistani individuals and members of Prime Minister Imran Khan`s cabinet, inner circle, including cabinet ministers, their families and major financial backers.

Among those whose holdings have been exposed are Khan`s finance minister, Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tarin, and his family, and the son of Khan`s former adviser for finance and revenue, Waqar Masood Khan. 

The records also reveal the offshore dealings of a top PTI donor, Arif Naqvi, who is facing fraud charges in the US, according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

According to the ICIJ, Pakistan`s elites use offshore services that rival the findings of the Panama Papers, which led to Sharif`s downfall and helped propel Imran Khan to power three years ago.

The revelations are part of the Pandora Papers, a new global investigation into the shadowy offshore financial system that allows multinational corporations, the rich, famous and powerful to avoid taxes and otherwise shield their wealth. 

The probe is based on more than 11.9 million confidential files from 14 offshore services firms leaked to the ICIJ and shared with 150 news organisations around the world.