Declaring Iqama [work permit] a kind of protection and safe passage, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Thursday urged United Arab Emirates (UAE) Central Bank to disclose all details of non-residents account holders under the international agreements.
Panama Papers probe, in its final report, revealed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's employment with an Emirate-based firm as chairman. Soon after the JIT's startling revelation, the work permits of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Asif Khawaja, and Federal Minister for Development and Planning Ahsan Iqbal have also surfaced on social media, showing their employment with different companies in Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
In a tweet, the PTI chairman said that all corrupt mafias keep such work and residence permits in UAE because the Emirates Central Bank is not bound to disclose account holders' details of non-residents (those who do not have citizenship of UAE). In the subsequent tweet, he urged the central bank of UAE to disclose details of its non-resident account holders.
Imran said that it's shocking for the entire nation even those who had knowledge of Pakistani office holders of having work permits for their endless greed of wealth.
On Tuesday, the pictures of Defense Minister Khawaja Asif's UAE work permit went viral on social media. In a series of tweets, PTI leader Usman Dar claimed to have acquired a copy of the UAE permit of the minister, who he believed, would be disqualified under the Article 62 and 63 of the constitution for concealing such information from the Election Commission of Pakistan.
He said Khawaja Asif was found to be an employee of a UAE company besides being a federal minister. He had not mentioned his employment and income from the company in his nomination papers submitted in the ECP. Subsequently, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday has also confirmed holding the Kingdom's work/residence permit for two years following the pictures of his work permit went viral on social media.
Expressing no regrets in a tweet he admitted of working and staying in Saudi Arabia as what he said, "For anyone who is blessed to live and work in Madinah it is a natural desire to keep Madinah resident status for as long as one can. No regrets." It is relevant to mention here that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also holds UAE travel permit, which he had admitted before the Supreme Court, saying that he held UAE travel permit which he had declared in his documents submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan ahead of the 2013 general elections.
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