“Governance here, investment there?” JI’s Hafiz Naeem demands resignations of public officials named in Dubai leaks

After the revelation of the Dubai property leaks, which disclosed a list of 17,000 Pakistanis owning properties in the Gulf country, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, has called for those holding public office to resign from their positions.

The leaked data, part of the "Dubai Unlocked" project by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), provided a detailed overview of over 23,000 properties in the Gulf country owned or used by Pakistanis, from the years 2020 to 2022.

Rehman censured Pakistan's ruling elite for their involvement in international scandals, showcasing a blatant disregard for the interests of their own nation.

“First the Panama Leaks, then the Pandora Papers and now the Dubai Property Leaks. The rich stories of Pakistan's elite and ruling class are now becoming an integral part of international scandals,” his post read on ‘X’.

پہلے پانامہ لیکس، پھر پینڈورا پیپرز اور اب دبئی پراپرٹی لیکس ۔۔۔ پاکستانی اشرافیہ اور حکمران طبقے کی دولت و ثروت کی ہوشربا داستانیں اب بین الاقوامی اسکینڈلز کا لازمی حصہ بنتی جارہی ہیں۔ پراپرٹی لیکس کے مطابق دبئی میں 22 ہزار پاکستانیوں کی 23 ہزار جائدادوں کی مالیت کا اندازہ 12.5… pic.twitter.com/2ghGF4FScb

— Naeem ur Rehman (@NaeemRehmanEngr) May 15, 2024

The JI leader raised questions about the sources and means by which the elites accumulated their assets, and criticised them for inviting foreign investment in Pakistan while moving their own assets abroad.

”Would any of the ruling elites on the list care to explain where they got the money to buy property in Dubai? By what means was this money transferred to Dubai? Were all these properties declared in time to FBR, Election Commission, and State Bank? Why was the investment made outside Pakistan? If these properties have been declared, then the question is, when the ruling class invests outside the country, who will invest in Pakistan?” he asserted.

Haiz Naeemur Rehman further added, “We demand that all such persons should now step down from high positions as such elements are making Pakistan unsafe for investment. Governance here, investment there. It won't work.” 

Prominent figures in Pakistan who hold ownership of properties located in Dubai include retired military officials, President Zardari's children, the family of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi's wife, PPP leader Sharjeel Memon and his relatives, Senator Faisal Vawda and several MNAs and MPAs from Sindh and Balochistan.