A massive collection of leaked documents has revealed faces behind offshore shell companies operating in secrecy to avoid taxes and launder money. Big names from around the world have been included in the disclosed documents. Majority of the involved people includes politicians, businessmen, bankers, judges and media personnel.
The leaked documents dubbed as the Panama Papers have named over 200 people from Pakistan involved in stashing their money abroad via off-shore companies. This list is still expanding and more Pakistanis will be added in the coming weeks. Data under examination starts from 1977, however, all of the Pakistanis start appearing in the documents after 1990.
The biggest leak in the history of journalism has shown the two-faced approach of our leaders and politicians towards taxation and money laundering. Here is a list of Pakistanis who have indulged in the practice of tax evasion according to the Panama papers:
Politicians:
- Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family (9 companies)
- Hassan Nawaz
- Hussain Nawaz
- Maryam Nawaz
- Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s relatives (7 companies)
- Samina Durrani
- Ilyas Mehraj
- Former PM Benazir Bhutto (1 company)
- Nephew Hassan Ali Jaffery
- Javed Pasha, Close friend of Asif Ali Zardari (4 companies)
- PPP Senator Rehman Malik (1 company)
- PPP Senator Osman Saifullah’s family (34 companies)
- Anwar Saifullah
- Salim Saifullah
- Humayun Saifullah
- Iqbal Saifullah
- Javed Saifullah
- Jehangir Saifullah
- Relatives of Chaudharys of Gujrat
- Zain Sukhera (co-accused with former Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani’s son in the Hajj scandal)
Businessmen:
- Real Estate Czar Malik Riaz Hussain’s son (Bahria Town)
- Ahmad Ali Riaz (1 company)
- Chairman ABM Group of Companies Azam Sultan (5 companies)
- Pizza Hut owner Aqeel Hussain and family (1 company)
- Chairman Soorty Enterprise Abdul Rashid Soorty and family
- Sultan Ali Allana, Chairman of Habib Bank Limited (1 company)
- Khawaja Iqbal Hassan, former NIB bank President (1 company)
- Bashir Ahmed and Javed Shakoor of Buxly Paints (1 company)
- Mehmood Ahmed of Berger Paints (1 company)
- Hotel tycoon Sadruddin Hashwani and family (3 companies)
- Owner of Hilton Pharma, Shehbaz Yasin Malik and family (1 company)
- Hussain Dawood family (2 companies)
- Shahzada Dawood
- Abdul Samad Dawood
- Partner Saad Raja
- Abdullah family of Sapphire Textiles (5 companies)
- Yousuf Abdullah and his wife
- Muhammad Abdullah and his wife
- Shahid Abdullah and his family
- Nadeem Abdullah and family
- Amer Abdullah and family
- Gul Muhammad Tabba of Lucky Textiles
- Shahid Nazir, CEO of Masood Textile Mills (1 company)
- Zulfiqar Ali Lakhani, from Lakson Group and owner of Colgate-Palmolive, Tetley Clover and Clover Pakistan (1 company)
- Zulfiqar Paracha and family of Universal Corporation (1 company)
Judges:
- Serving Lahore High Court Judge Justice Farrukh Irfan
- Retired Judge Malik Qayyum
Media:
- Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman of GEO and Jang Group (1 company)
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is considering initiating an inquiry into the Pakistanis involved in the Panama Paper leaks. Top NAB officials are discussing the matter and a full scale investigation may be on the cards.