New Delhi: Its announcement last year had sent shock waves across Pakistan’s power elites. Its release, for now restricted to the UK, has given fresh ammo to a battered Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek E Insaf. Michael Oswald and Murtaza Mehdi’s documentary Behind Closed Doors is out on Apple TV with tales of ruling class elites siphoning money off from developing nations to invest in offshore funds and buy elite properties in London. And the ‘Sharif Dynasty’ finds a lengthy mention in the documentary.
Special Assistant to former PM Imran Khan, Syed Z Bukhari was quick to train guns on the Sharifs and the Army, saying: “Sharifs are a matter of shame for Pakistan. The documentary ‘Behind Closed Doors’ that had them going MAD is officially out now. This is what Arshad Sharif lost his life to & what caused a crackdown on investigative journalism. Congratulations to the #Sharif clan and their supporters on this international fame!”
Sharifs are a matter of shame for Pakistan.
The documentary ‘Behind Closed Doors’ that had them going MAD is officially out now.
This is what Arshad Sharif lost his life to & what caused a crackdown on investigative journalism.
Congratulations to the #Sharif clan and their… https://t.co/oWJrAgibCi pic.twitter.com/UucViz0Mi4
— Sayed Z Bukhari (@sayedzbukhari) May 22, 2023
A vocal critic of the country’s all-powerful Army, Arshad Sharif was an investigative journalist who was assassinated in Kenya.
Bukhari further said “everyone should watch this and see what corruption money does. The #Sharifs have made us proud yet again by making it to the list of most corrupt in the world.”
The documentary #BehindClosedDoors is now out on @AppleTV.
Everyone should watch this and see what corruption money does.
The #Sharifs have made us proud yet again by making it to the list of most corrupt in the world.https://t.co/7CH1fqFtCx https://t.co/oWJrAghDMK pic.twitter.com/Mz9HNwjwHA— Sayed Z Bukhari (@sayedzbukhari) May 22, 2023
Pakistani journalist Ihtisham Ul Haq wrote, saying “Paid to Apple TV for “Behind Closed Doors” just to watch our hero Arshad Sharif unseen interview.”
Paid to Apple TV for “Behind Closed Doors” just to watch our hero Arshad Sharif unseen interview. pic.twitter.com/JOtEwVGUhz
— Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) May 22, 2023
For Pakistan’s Sharif Dynasty, their story opens up with Arshad Sharif, who was killed while the documentary was still being shot. It narrates how Sharifs have enabled corruption in the State. With Nawaz Sharif’s first term as the Prime Minister in the 90s, several state holdings, Arshad is seen saying, were portrayed as losses to be handed out to different political backers of Nawaz Sharif.
The question of fraud bank accounts registered in the name of commoners but linked to the Sharif’s has also been brought up in the film.
Three of Nawaz Sharif’s children have been mentioned in the documentary vis a vis the 2016 Panama Papers leak, which revealed the ways the rich have been exploiting offshore secretive tax regimes. They were linked to companies set offshore that bought luxury apartments in London. The leak proved disastrous for Sharif himself, who had to resign as the PM.
Many Pakistanis are showing solidarity with Arshad Sharif who they believe was killed because of his anti-establishment voice.
But not all are buying Arshad Sharif’s version, calling him biased: “It does not have the view of people questioned and it was made by biased journalist Arshad Sharif who was on payroll of the army before going rogue!”
Exatemly biased documentary, it does not have the view of people questioned and it was made by biased journalist Arshad Sharif who was on pay roll of army before going rogue!
— Ardi (@Tarrar2uk) May 22, 2023
Responding to the criticism, Pakistan Muslim League (N)’s Twitter handle posted a tweet with Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb taking a dig at the previous Imran Khan government. “When Imran Khan was the prime minister, he was called a media predator,” the tweet says praising the current government, “but today every channel and every anchor has freedom to speak, no one’s voice is suppressed. Name one journalist whose voice has been silenced, not even one.” Comments have been critical, with many naming journalists who have suffered under the PMLN regimes.
The documentary’s announcement last year had created a storm in Pakistan. State Minister of Petroleum Musadik Malik had alleged that PTI was behind the funding of the documentary. “Netflix has denied having produced that movie. Then the question is who is behind that movie? Where did the funding for the movie come from?” Malik had said on purported headlines of Netflix behind the production of the documentary. “That’s where they (PTI) spend all their secret [prohibited] funding. All the campaigns against the martyrs, the institutions, and these videos are foreign-funded.”
Also read: New documentary promises to expose Sharif family. Netflix not part of it, despite rumours