Imran's Stance On Bani Gala Land Self-contradictory: PML-N

(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Imran's stance on Bani Gala land self-contradictory: PML-N

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Jan, 2017 ) : Pakistan Muslim League (N) leaders on Wednesday said Imran Khan had made several self-contradictory statements about Bani Gala land purchase deal and was now seeking immunity from hearing to hide details from the Election Commission in the reference filed against him.

Speaking at a press conference along with Minister of State for Privatization Muhammad Zubair, member National Assembly PML-N Daniyal Aziz said Imran Khan and Jehangir Tareen challenged the references against them in Election Commission on basis of maintainability and jurisdiction.

The references against them were sent by Speaker National Assembly. He said the Election Commission had rejected plea of PTI leaders for immunity and asked both of them to provide evidence. He described in detail the contradictions in the statements made by Imran Khan on the media and later in the reply submitted before the Election Commission about purchase of 300 acre Bani Gala property.

Daniyal said first Imran Khan claimed during a television interview that he bought the property with the money acquired from sale of a flat in London. While before the Election Commission he stated that he could not sell the London Flat and took money from his former wife Jemima Khan for purchasing the land in Bani Gala.

However, in a tweet Jemima Khan said that she never gave a loan to Imran Khan, he continued. Daniyal said Imran Khan did not divulge details of his financial transactions despite saying that he was ready to present himself for accountability.

He said Imran Khan was seeking record from the Sharif family which goes back to the years 1980 and even 1937 while he himself was hiding details of his financial matters. Imran Khan kept an offshore company Niazi Services Limited from 1983 to 2015 and never disclosed its presence until the matter was made public by someone, he added.

He said Imran Khan was always flanked by Jehangir Tareen, who traded shares on stock exchange in the Names of his gardener and cook and committed insider trading of Rs 70 million. Later, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) fined Jehangir Tareen for insider trading and had to return Rs 70 million besides paying a fine in millions.

Muhammad Zubair said the counsel of Sharif family proved before the Supreme Court that no tax evasion, money laundering and concealment of assets was done by the Sharif family. The counsel submitted the tax returns and relevant documents explaining the money trail of the businesses, he added.

He criticised Imran Khan for suggesting that remittances of Pakistanis should be taxed. He said nine million Pakistanis live abroad, mostly in middle East and sent remittances worth $ 20 billion last year and any tax on that money would increase difficulties of people of Pakistan.

The minister said it was a point of law that non-resident Pakistanis could not be asked about their businesses abroad as they file tax returns outside. Even then, children of Prime Minister, who were non-resident Pakistanis submitted themselves before the Supreme Court.

Zubair said PML-N was continuously defending Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as he was the most popular leader of Pakistan, elected thrice as Prime Minister, adding Imran Khan was attempting to malign him with false accusations to gain political mileage.

He said nobody could raise a legal point for exchange of money between members of a family, he said adding this fact was also established in the case of Arsalan Iftikhar, son of former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry before a two-member bench of the Supreme Court. Father could not be held responsible for business of his son and this was universally accepted legal principle, he added.