Recover national wealth from offshore accounts: Durrani
05 November, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Former information minister Senator Mohammed Ali Durrani has urged the government to follow footprints of India to get the national wealth recovered from unnamed/off-shore and hidden accounts of corrupt Pakistanis from Switzerland. "Under pressure from the Indian judiciary, civil society and opposition, a huge sum of Rs7 billion has been recovered from 69 account holders after identification of accounts of 700 Indian nationals in Switzerland and 18 in Germany while the action has been initiated against others", disclosed the former minister here on Friday in an interview with The News/Jang (a local newspaper). "The people of Pakistan do not want loans from the IMF but return of plundered national wealth from Switzerland. Stopping lending to Pakistan, the World Bank and IMF should bind the Pakistan government to bring back the looted wealth," Durrani said. He said that the opposition would soon move a bill in the Senate for the return of black money and double taxation because the democracy and corruption could not go side by side. He said that majority of the parliamentarians are ready to raise voice against corruption rising above their political affiliations. He said any political party that did not want to raise voice against the return of the looted wealth should prepare for its political death. He said the Indian government too has initially been using delaying tactics but the steps taken under pressure from the Supreme Court of India, civil society and opposition have resulted in identification of 700 account holders having black money in Switzerland and 18 in Germany." Of them, Rs7 billion have so far been recovered from 69 account holders and a probe has been launched against three parliamentarians while the income tax department has set up a separate directorate for investigation into financial crimes," he added. Reiterating his demand for repatriation of the Pakistani assets from abroad, Durrani said that the Ehtesab Bill should immediately be approved and laws should be framed under the UN convention against the corruption for bringing back the looted wealth and assets. He said that talks should be initiated with Switzerland, Britain, the US, Canada, Germany, Spain, Malaysia, Norway, etc, for signing agreements under the new law so that the looted wealth could be brought back and flight of capital from Pakistan could be stopped. "The corruption and the country can no more go side by side. The country will become prosperous with the return of the looted wealth. The politicians who have to go to people will have to raise their voice against the corruption and people will get surety of those politicians confiscated who will stay silent. The parties that are not raising voice for the return of the looted wealth should prepare for their political death," he said. The senator said now the slogan of the nation is "Eliminate Corruption, Bring Back Looted Wealth, Make Pakistan Prosperous" so the nation does not need loans but the return of the plundered wealth. "Any parliamentarian who is not part of the demand for the elimination of corruption and return of the looted wealth is in fact the accomplice of the thieves and enemy of masses," he stressed. To a question, he said that today people are demanding their elected representatives to raise voice for the retrieval of the looted wealth and against the corruption and the whole world is supporting Pakistani people in this demand. He said that if India and the US could reclaim their looted wealth, why not Pakistan? He said the world has launched war on the black money, why Pakistan is being maintained as a hub of corruption?" The parliament should pass legislation to eliminate the corruption and bring back the looted wealth otherwise people will be just in launching a no-trust movement against the parliament. If the democracy is to be saved, the money earned through the corruption will have to be brought back," he said. He lamented that Pakistan is the only country that is deprived of law against the corruption and is not demanding repatriation of its looted wealth. Senator Durrani said that Pakistan is getting poorer but the rulers are getting richer and the poor are committing suicides but the rulers are busy in loot and plunder. He said the biggest enemy of the democracy in Pakistan is corruption. He stressed upon the parliamentarians to rise above their political affiliations for raising voice against corruption. He said the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) had announced war against the corruption when he had stated that those who offer bribe and those who receive it would go to hell. He pointed out that today the whole world is testifying to the truthfulness of this saying of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). He said it is, however, a big question as to why Pakistan, which was created in the name of Islam, is out of the global alliance against corruption. End.
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