According to media reports on Sunday, a data leak from a major Swiss bank disclosed details on 600 accounts linked to 1400 Pakistani people.
According to data released from Credit Suisse, a Swiss investment banking institution, account holders include various senior politicians and generals, including the ex-ISI commander, General Akhtar Abdur Rahman Khan.
According to a New York Times investigation, Khan assisted in the distribution of billions of dollars in cash and other supplies from the United States and other nations to Afghan mujahedeen in support of their war against the Soviet Union.
According to the Dawn newspaper, Saudi Arabian and US money for mujahideen warriors fighting Russia’s presence in Afghanistan went through the American Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) Swiss bank account, citing an Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) investigation.
“The end recipient in the process was Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence group (ISI), [at the time] led by Akhtar,” the journal quoted the investigation as saying. According to The News International newspaper, the average maximum balance in accounts held by Pakistanis was 4.42 million Swiss francs.
According to the Pakistani daily, some politically exposed individuals failed to disclose these accounts, which they created while holding public service, in their assets declaration given to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
The most recent leaks come after the so-called Panama Papers in 2016, the Paradise Papers in 2017, and the Pandora Papers last year. According to The New York Times, a self-described whistle blower revealed data on more than 18,000 bank accounts totalling more than $100 billion to the German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung.
Earlier this month, Transparency International placed Pakistan 140 out of 180 on its Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2021, a 16-spot drop from the previous year.
