'Billions of dollars stashed by Pak Generals, officials in Swiss bank'

A leak of data from a leading Swiss bank has revealed information about 600 accounts linked to 1400 Pakistani citizens, media reports said on Sunday.

Account-holders include several key politicians and generals, including the ex-ISI chief, General Akhtar Abdur Rahman Khan, according to data leaked from Credit Suisse, an investment banking firm registered in Switzerland.

A report published in The New York Times said Khan helped funnel billions of dollars in cash and other aid from the United States and other countries to the mujahedeen in Afghanistan to support their fight against the Soviet Union.

The Saudi Arabian and US funding for mujahideen fighters battling Russia's presence in Afghanistan went to the American Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Swiss bank account, the Dawn newspaper reported, citing an Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) report.

"The end recipient in the process was Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence group (ISI), [at the time] led by Akhtar," the publication quoting the report said.

The average maximum balance in accounts held by Pakistanis was 4.42 million Swiss francs, The News International newspaper reported.

The Pakistani publication further noted that several politically exposed persons didn't mention these accounts which they opened at a time when they were holders of public office, in their assets declaration submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The latest leaks follow the so-called Panama Papers in 2016, the Paradise Papers in 2017 and the Pandora Papers of last year. A self-described whistle-blower leaked data on more than 18,000 bank accounts, collectively holding more than $100 billion, to the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, reported The New York Times.

Further revelations are expected in the upcoming days, as more information about the leak becomes public.

Earlier in January, Pakistan ranked 140 out of 180 on Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2021 by Transparency International, losing 16 spots over the previous year.