Pak PM Sharif barred from speaking in Davos over alleged corruption scandal

Apparently, he could only hold a meeting with SL PM Ranil Wickremesinghe

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his four-day stay in Davos to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) was not allowed to deliver any speech following his alleged involvement in corruption, according to local media.

The Daily Time reported that Prime Minister Sharif failed to address any important forum because he was not allowed by the management of Davos Economic Forum to address any function.

The main reason for not allowing Sharif to deliver a speech on any forum was said to be the alleged involvement of the prime minister in massive corruption in Pakistan.

He could only hold a meeting with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe but could not hold any meeting with other head of states. 

Contrastingly, former Pakistani army chief Gen. (Rtd.) Raheel Sharif addressed several forums and participated in many debates.

The report said that Sharif had gone to attend the Davos Forum without any invitation from its sponsors and spent millions of rupees on his visit out of the national kitty.

But he had to face disappointment when he was not allowed to address the forum.

The official spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.

The prime minister is currently embroiled in the Panama Papers scandal that exposed dealings of hundreds of thousands of people, including world leaders and celebrities, and how they use shady financial mechanisms to avoid paying taxes and hide their wealth.

Among those named in the Panama Papers are three of Sharif's four children, including his daughter Maryam and sons Hasan and Hussain, with records showing they owned London real estate through offshore companies.

Owning off-shore companies is not illegal in Pakistan, but the Sharifs are being challenged in connection with the source of the funds.

Opposition politicians allege that the funds were gained through corrupt practices during Sharif's previous two stints as prime minister in the 1990's.