Pak media to down play Pandora Papers scam after the names of five media houses barons appear for holding offshore companies

  • Jang/Geo, Express, Dawn, Pakistan Today and GNN owners have offshore companies
pandora papers leaks scam discloses Jang/Geo, Express, Dawn, Pakistan Today and GNN owners have offshore companies

By Irum Saleem

Most of the Pakistani media preferred to put a cap on the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ (ICIJ)Pandora Papers” revelations related to the wrong doings of their bosses (media houses owners) . At least owners of five media houses have offshore companies mentioned in the Pandora Papers.    

As a whole the Pandora Papers include the names of as many as 700 Pakistanis including politicians, ex army men, media houses owners and businessmen.    

The names of the media houses owners which were kept deliberately secret in the leaks are —  Jang/Geo group owner Mir Shakilur Rehman, Dawn’s Hameed Haroon, Express Media Group CEO Sultan Ali Lakhani and GNN of Gourmet group also have off shore holdings.    

ICIJ investigation reveals that Mir Shakilur Rehman who recently has come of jail in a land case which he was given by Nawaz Sharif owns an offshore company named Brookwood Ventures Limited in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).    Dawn’s Hamid Haroon owned an offshore company called Bardney Limited that was registered in Seychelles.   

Express media group’s Sultan Lakhani owned an offshore company Century Media Network Inc that was incorporated in February 2005.   

The GNN of Gourmet group of Chathas that was also involved in sugar scam and an FIR has been registered against it in FIA owned an offshore company, Gourmet Holdings Limited in the BVI jurisdiction.  The late editor of Pakistan Today Arif Nizami owned New Mile Production Limited in BVI that was incorporated in July 2000 with him and his wife declared as its beneficial owners.    

Because of these media barons mentioned in this ICIJ report there are chances that the Pandora Papers may not get the attention of the Pakistani media the way it ran Panama Papers day and night paving the way for packing up of the Sharifs. PAK DESTINY

Leave a Reply