Pandora Papers: Opposition dubs Imran Khan's inquiry cell as 'hoax', wants him to resign

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's decision to set up a cell to investigate Pakistani nationals whose names appeared in the Pandora Papers was a hoax, according to Pakistan's opposition parties. They demanded an investigation by a judicial commission or an independent commission. According to Dawn, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) stated that Khan's inquiry cell was a "hoax" and an attempt to protect ministers and others affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and its allies.

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) released the Pandora Papers on Sunday. The opposition's refusal comes after Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry stated on Monday that a high-level committee would be established to examine Pakistanis implicated in the Pandora Papers. According to The Express Tribune, Fawad Chaudhry announced on Twitter that the high-level cell under the Prime Minister's Inspection Commission will probe all identified in the Pandora Papers and will disclose facts to the public.

Marriyum Aurangzeb asks Khan to first resign and then order probes

According to Dawn, PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb claimed that a probe into the Pandora Papers would be impossible as long as Khan is Prime Minister. She advised Khan to "first resign and then order probes," and called the cell's inception a joke with Pakistan.

In an interview with Dawn, PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bokhari argued that the investigative cell would be useless if it operated under Khan. He went on to say that if the cell reported to Khan instead of the judiciary, the cell's fate would be the same as the government's earlier commissions investigating the wheat, sugar and fuel scandals.

In a statement, ANP President Asfandyar Wali Khan mocked the inquiry cell's foundation stating that the government is itself complicit in corruption. The ANP leader asked for the creation of an impartial and powerful panel to conduct extensive inquiries into the Pandora Papers in a timely manner.

"No one had yet decided to resign"

In response to a query on the opposition's demand that ministers whose names featured in the Pandora Papers quit, Fawad Chaudhry said that the prime minister had already asked all of them to clear their names, according to Dawn. He also said that no one had yet decided to resign.

(Inputs from ANI)

Image: AP