Islamabad : May 14, 2024 : After Panama Paper leaks which had exposed thousands of Pakistanis ‘ assets in offshore companies including the past and present rulers of Pakistan , a new Dubai leaks have brought properties of 17,000 of worth $ 12 billion plus of Pakistani citizens who are listed owners in the 2022 leak, academics using the data and additional sources put the actual number of Pakistani owners of residential property in Dubai at 22,000. They further estimated that the apartments and villas may have been worth more than $10 billion at the start of 2022, but with the more than 25 per cent increase in property prices over the last two years, the real worth of Pakistanis’ residential properties in Dubai could now be well above $12.5bn.
As per Dubai leaks , prominent names included the children of President Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari; wife of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Ms Ashraf; Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon; MNA Ikhtiar Baig; son of PML-N president Nawaz Sharif, Hussain Nawaz; son of retired General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Saad Siddique Bajwa; Senator Faisal Vawda, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, Akhtar Mengal and PML-N MNA Ehsanul Haq Bajwa. Panama leaks had not changed anything in Pakistan except putting Sharifs in hot waters for a few years . Sharifs were on purpose disqualified and later a few of them despatched to UK where they ,according to media reports , own costly properties. Otherwise , Panama leaks scam proved too small to become a cause of fixing up thousands of Pakistanis whose names with properties details had appeared in Panama papers . There is no hope from Dubai leaks for making any dent to Pakistanis in 17000 in numbers as Pakistan’s law and system protect those influential who plunder national resources of Pakistan and launder money to every important country which serve as a heaven for money launderers. Pakistanis in particular those who hold public offices in any capacity like public representatives , burocracy , military officers , businessmen especially property tycoons , police officers , judges are involved in plundering money from Pakistan and taking it out of Pakistan . Rampant corruption in Pakistan is basically helping corrupts to plunder in Pakistan and purchase properties in other countries which they think their assets are a safe . There is hardly any fear in Pakistan that any powerful will ever be caught and punished for plundering and money laundering . Can some institution including judiciary question , Asif Ali Zardari , Mohsin Naqvi, ex prime minister Shaukat Aziz , son of General (R) Bajwa , Pervez Musharraf’s family or even Faisal Wawda and other 17000 Pakistanis whose names have appeared in Dubai leaks as if what was their source to buy these properties in Dubai and how did they transfer billions of dollars from Pakistan to buy costly properties in that country?. In fact , Pakistan is a hub of corruption where more powerful is more corrupt . Like Panama leaks , Dubai leaks will also die down after making small ripples in Pakistan’s sea of corruption .