- Calls for repatriation of looted wealth to save Pakistan’s sinking economy
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) strongly condemned the blatant hypocrisy and criminal negligence of the “incumbent imposed rulers,” who “the party alleged” looted the nation’s wealth and stashed it in safe havens abroad, leaving the people to bear the brunt of their mismanagement and misplaced priorities.
Reacting to the Fafen report detailing the assets and liabilities of parliamentarians, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram questioned how foreign investors could be expected to invest in Pakistan when the ‘illegitimate’ Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held more assets abroad than in Pakistan, which was tantamount to sending a clear message to the international community that “Pakistan was not a safe or viable place for investment.”
Sh Waqas lambasted “the form 47 regime” for seeking foreign financial assistance while hoarding their “ill-gotten wealth in offshore accounts and foreign properties.”
He said that the imposed rulers did not bring their assets to the country because they were not the ‘people chosen representatives’ but “they seized powers fraudulently and would escape the country on the first flight after ousting from powers.”
Sh Waqas stated that the successive governments led by the “Sharif and Zardari dynasties” had drained Pakistan’s economy through unchecked corruption, money laundering and cronyism, adding that Pakistan stood at the brink of financial collapse, not because of external factors alone, but primarily due to the loot and plunder orchestrated by these two families.
PTI CIS went on to say that while Pakistan was struggling to run its daily government affairs, with the state unable to provide basic necessities like electricity, gas and healthcare, the ruling elites were busy in building vast empires abroad. He emphasized that the Sharif family’s Avenfield properties, London flats, and offshore companies, as well as the Zardari family’s suspicious wealth and assets abroad, were a slap in the face of every Pakistani who worked tirelessly to make ends meet. “These imposed rulers have not only failed to invest in Pakistan but have actively drained its resources, leaving the country in a state of perpetual dependency and despair,” he added.
Waqas raised question that how can Pakistan attract foreign investment when its own rulers have no faith in the country’s future? “The Sharifs and Zardaris, along with their cronies, have created an environment of distrust and instability, making it impossible for investors to invest here,” he lamented.
Waqas declared that PTI held these rulers directly responsible for the economic and political crisis gripping the nation at present, as their corruption, mismanagement and lack of vision had brought Pakistan to its knees. PTI CIS pointed out that instead of building industries, creating jobs and fostering innovation, they focused solely on enriching themselves and their families, resultantly country was burdened with debt, inflation and unemployment, while its leaders live in luxury abroad.
Waqas demanded immediate accountability for these crimes against the people of Pakistan and urged authorities concerned to investigate the foreign assets and wealth of Pakistan’s ruling elite, particularly the Sharif and Zardari families, seeking repatriating these stolen money to the national treasury.
PTI CIS stated that PTI founder Imran Khan was the only true patriotic leader who repeatedly demanded the repatriation of looted wealth, the strengthening of institutions and an end to dynastic politics that had strangled the nation for decades.
Sh Waqas pressed that it was high time the people of Pakistan should raise against these corrupt power grabbers and sent them packing because no nation can progress when its leaders were more invested in foreign bank accounts than in the country. PTI CIS made it clear that the world would not take Pakistan seriously unless they rid themselves of the rulers who prioritized personal wealth over national interest.
He vowed that PTI remained committed to building a Pakistan where the wealth of the nation was used for the nation, not for the personal enrichment of a few. “We will continue to fight for transparency, accountability, constitutional supremacy, rule of law and true democracy, besides ensuring that Pakistan’s resources are invested in Pakistan’s future,” he added.
