Return 'looted money' or step down as premier, Imran tells Nawaz

The party will not let government offices function if its demands are not met during the sit-in, says PTI chairman

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has said that their protest in Islamabad will only conclude if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif steps down or returns the 'looted money' to the exchequer.

“The protest will only conclude if the prime minister tenders his resignation or the money unearthed [by Panama Papers] is returned [to the exchequer],” Imran said while addressing his supporters at a gathering in Lahore on Saturday.

Leaked documents from the Mossack Fonseca law firm in Panama in April showed several world leaders, including the premier’s three children, Hassan and Hussain and Maryam, owning at least three offshore holding companies registered in the British Virgin Islands.



The PTI leader claimed that the rulers have made national institutions dysfunctional, saying masses should take to the streets to save the suppressed segments of the society. “Corruption unearthed by Panama Papers was just the tip of the iceberg.”

He further said that a schedule for the mass gathering in Islamabad will be announced tomorrow (Sunday).

"We will not let the government continue to function until the prime minister meets our demands," Imran said before warning "this time PTI supporters will stage a sit-in on the road and restrain government offices from working".



He also advised his workers on the occasion to "bring considerable quantity of food with them," signalling a prolonged stay in the federal capital.

The government and the opposition parties have been unable to evolve joint Terms of Reference (ToR), termed mandatory by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali on May 13 to probe the leaks.

While the government insists that investigation should involve all those named in corruption cases, opposition parties, mainly PTI, says that a probe should begin with the assets of the premier’s family.