ISLAMABAD: After Panamagate, another scandal has surfaced as one more

member of the federal cabinet, Ahsan Iqbal, who oversees the $54 billion
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, is found to be a holder
of Iqama (work permit) of Saudi Arabia.

He is said to be the fourth cabinet member to have held a foreign work

permit, the others being Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Defence Minister
Khawaja Asif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar holders of Iqama of the
United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to media reports, Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Planning and

Development, obtained Iqama from a Madina-based firm.

Many attempts to contact him were in vain.

However, according to the media reports, he has confirmed that he held the
kingdoms work/residence permit for two years.

PTI decides to bring all Iqama-holder cabinet members

to court

I worked in Madina Munawarah 2004-06 afterwards retained Iqama

without receiving any compensation for frequent travel hence no illegal
act, he said in a Twitter message.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, a spokesman for the planning and

development ministry said Mr Iqbal had served as an adviser to the
governor of Madina from 2004 to 2006 on a digital economy project.

It claimed that the minister had not taken any salary for the project since
2006, adding that he had declared his Iqama in his documents in 2013.

The spokesman said Mr Iqbal was not doing business in any foreign
country and after the expiry of his Iqama it was not renewed.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan termed dual-office holding

by federal cabinet members criminal enterprise and said they were
criminals of the nation.
Have you ever seen in democracy that a prime minister of a country serves
as a sale manager after getting Iqama. Similarly, we heard that Defence
Minister Khawaja has Iqama of another Gulf state, the PTI chief said at a
press conference on Wednesday.

Calling Mr Iqbal a pseudo intellectual and Aristotle of PML-N, he said the

minister also tried to hide his corruption behind Islam that was why he got
Iqama of Saudi Arabia.

Mr Khan said his party had decided to bring all Iqama-holder cabinet
members to a court of law. Our leaders Usman Dar and Firdous Ashiq
Awan, who better know the background of Khawaja Asif, will soon file a
petition against him, he said.

PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said: It is sad that Nawaz Sharif, who is
prime minister of Pakistan, is also serving as a marketing manager in the
UAE. Khawaja Asif, who is our defence minister and handles all security
forces of the country, is a Munshi (record keeper) of a UAE-based firm.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who runs the countrys finances, is also an
employee of a firm in the UAE, and Ahsan Iqbal, who is the countrys
planning minister and supervising CPEC, is a security guard of a Madina-
based firm.

After Panamagate, a new scandal of Iqamas has been unearthed and it is

quite shameful for the nation that our rulers keep dual offices and are
serving on petty positions in Arab states.

The PTI spokesman said ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)

leaders obtained work permits of foreign countries not to get jobs but to
have an escape way when they would not be in power and could be made
accountable for their wrongdoings.

Published in Dawn, July 27