Imran Khan-led PTI govt ranks 'number 1' in leaked Pandora Papers, says Maryam Nawaz

Seeking public support to oust the corrupt government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N's) Vice president Maryam Nawaz on Saturday said that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government ranked "number 1" in the recently leaked Pandora Papers.

While addressing a rally in Faisalabad, Maryam said PM Imran Khan cannot save himself from accountability, reported Geo News.

"The nation was told Imran Khan's name isn't included in the list [...] have you ever heard that the leader of a pack of thieves was an honest person?" she asked.

The Pandora Papers, compiled by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists following a two-year investigation, exposed over 35 current and former global leaders, as well as more than 330 politicians and officials worldwide, who reportedly used tax havens and hid real incomes through offshore companies. The dossier contains over 11.9 million confidential documents.

Taking a dig at rocketing prices of wheat flour prices in the country amid high inflation, she recalled how once PM Imran Khan had remarked that when wheat flour becomes expensive, it is a sign the country's ruler is "corrupt", reported Geo News.

Speaking of foreign policy matters, Maryam said that things are dismal on that front as well with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi "not answering" the prime minister's call, while US President Joe Biden has not even called the premier yet, the Geo News reported.

"People on American television channels remark that Imran Khan's real authority is no greater than that of the Islamabad mayor," she said.

Speaking of the government's recent statement, whereby Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry had remarked that the prime minister has the prerogative to appoint the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), she said that it may very well be his prerogative to do so, but "electing the prime minister is the prerogative of the people", reported Geo News.

"The people should first choose their own prime minister and then he may decide what to do," she said, adding: "Imran Khan is not an elected leader; he is selected."

She asked why a nation of 220 million should support the current regime, when the government, under the guise of a democracy, was in fact running a "dictatorship".

Maryam Nawaz also hit out at PTI government over the recent hike in prices of fuel and other utilities in the country.

She also lashed at Khan over the mishandling of dengue fever in the country, reported Geo News.

"The entire world is facing coronavirus, but now because of their [government's] incompetence, people are dying of dengue," Maryam Nawaz said during the rally.

Maryam's remarks came while she was addressing a rally of the anti-government alliance, famously known as Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), in Faisalabad's Dhobi Ghat.

(ANI)

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