LAHORE: The Lahore High Court issued notices to the federal government and at least 64 politicians for May 29 in a petition, seeking the court’s directions for politicians to bring their foreign assets back to Pakistan.
The politicians include Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, PTI Chairman Imran Khan, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari.
A senior bar member Javed Iqbal Jaffery had filed the petition in 1996 against 26 political leaders and later he amended it and added more names to the list of respondents. The lawyer claimed that the respondent politicians transferred at least $300,000 million to foreign countries through money laundering. He said that by doing so the politicians had caused a huge loss to national exchequer. He said these politicians had not yet submitted in the court their affidavits about money laundering despite repeated court orders. He pleaded that Pakistan would have no need to obtain foreign loans if assets of the politicians were brought back to the country. He requested the court to direct politicians to bring back their assets to the motherland.
