ISLAMABAD (PEN) : Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Nadeem Afzal Chan has sharply criticized the Sharif family for dragging the legacy of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto into their current financial struggles. Chan expressed his frustration, saying, “You’re going bankrupt today, and that too in the UK—how is Bhutto’s era relevant? The same things happening here are taking place there as well. Have some shame.”
Chan accused the Sharif family of using the past as an excuse to avoid accountability, suggesting that their claim of bankruptcy was a strategy to evade paying taxes in the UK. He didn’t hold back, warning the family that if they didn’t stop their narrative, the PPP would reveal all the “hidden facts.”
This back-and-forth follows a ruling by the London High Court that declared a company owned by Hassan Nawaz, the son of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, bankrupt. In response to the ruling, the Sharif family issued a statement, arguing that their financial troubles began in 1972 when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto nationalized industries, a move they say negatively impacted their business ventures. They also pointed to the military rule of General Pervez Musharraf, who they claim seized their properties, and alleged that during the tenure of former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, their businesses were further harmed.
Chan’s remarks reflect the intense political rivalry in Pakistan, where the past is often invoked to explain or deflect from present-day issues. For many, the Sharif family’s financial woes and their ongoing legal battles are a deeply personal matter—one that continues to fuel public debate and division.
