In talks with British ambassador to Pakistan Thomas Drew, Imran Khan stated that his party intends to retrieve money that had been looted from public institutions and brought to Britain by corrupt Pakistani politicians.
Mr. Khan, who turned to politics after a successful cricketing career, was elected Prime Minister on July 26. He had run on a platform of battling the corruption that has plagued Pakistani politics for decades. His predecessor, Nawaz Sharif, had been sentenced to ten years in prison when he could not provide adequate explanations for how he acquired the wealth to purchase London flats worth nearly ten million in U.S. dollars.
New anti-corruption legislation had been introduced in the UK earlier this year, which may be of use to Mr. Khan’s aims. It affects those with property in the UK worth over fifty thousand pounds, or seventy thousand dollars, and who have potential links to organized crime or are capable of using their political position to unscrupulously gather wealth. These individuals are now obliged to explain their monetary sources.
The British High Commission in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad stated that “Tackling corruption is a UK government priority and we will continue to work constructively with Pakistan on this issue, as with other countries.”
Mr. Khan’s PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) had already begun its anti-corruption investigations before the elections, which had helped uncover the hidden wealth of Nawaz Sharif’s family.
Best of luck on their future plans! They have my full support!