Dar has lost credibility to run MoF: PTI

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar Wednesday said that Ishaq Dar has lost credibility to run the Finance Ministry as his "confessional statement" of money laundering for Sharif family has been corroborated now by more evidence. "Dar's confession has been corroborated by other evidence during the joint investigation team's (JIT) probe into the Sharif family's offshore assets and proved to be correct," he told a press conference.
After the JIT submitted its investigation with the Supreme Court, he questioned, why Dar continued defending the Sharif family as well as holding the Finance Ministry through which he controls the whole exchequer. "How long will you keep defending these criminals? You should know that the time has come for you to step down," said Umar, a close confidant of Chairman PTI Imran Khan.
Umar asked Dar how it became possible that all evidence corroborated the story he had shared in his confessional statement. The PTI MNA quickly clarified that his issue with Dar was not personal as he enjoyed a healthy personal relationship with him. "Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif himself said that he will go home without a moment's delay if any wrongdoing is proved against him," Umar recalled. "Had he resigned 15 months ago, he would not have seen this day," he added.
"I did not comment on how the JIT was doing earlier because I did not know what was happening behind closed doors but now when the report has been made public, the nation should appreciate that the JIT has shown bravery and competence in its job," he said. Dar had alleged a day ago in a press conference that the investigation was a part of an international conspiracy, claiming that there were significant gaps in the report.
Central Information Secretary PTI Shafqat Mehmood also put the finance minister on the spot when he asked why Chairman Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Zafar Hijazi is at his post, despite the apex court order of registration of a criminal case against him for his involvement in record-tampering as revealed by a Federal Investigation Agency probe.
"I ask Dar how he [Hijazi] can remain the chairman. Who can better understand than Dar that SECP regulates all industrial and economic institutions which keep the country's economy going? It regulates the stock exchange where hundreds of billions are traded. Should a person against whom an FIR has been filed remain the chairman of SECP?" he questioned.
He reiterated his party's call for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down, adding that his capacity to rule has diminished as he is now a tainted man. "It is strange that Nawaz Sharif did not know his children were becoming owners of companies abroad," he said. "Nawaz Sharif was evasive and did not answer a lot of questions, saying that he did not remember what documents he provided," he claimed. "Shahbaz [Sharif] did the same," he added.
"It is a matter of amazement that memories of both are so weak while they continue to hold important offices in the country," Mehmood said. "It appears that everybody is part of a conspiracy against them, excluding Tanzania, Gabon and Costa Rica, if they are to be believed. All political parties are now joining hands to demand [the PM's] resignation," he warned. "It is better if you resign with dignity or else we will be left with no option but to take to the streets," he declared.
Later in the evening, addressing another presser, Spokesman PTI Fawad Chaudhry claimed that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is being used to hide the illegal gains of the Sharif family. "There is a discrepancy between the accounts of the PML-N and Nawaz Sharif. When you hold press conferences on public money, how party funds are being utilised?" he questioned. He also accused Emir Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl Maulana Fazlur Rehman of getting funds from Libya.
Another PTI MNA Murad Saeed claimed that Nawaz Sharif remained part of every conspiracy hatched within Pakistan. He reiterated PTI's demand for resignation of Nawaz Sharif.