New Delhi: Hasan Nawaz, the son of former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has been declared bankrupt by the High Court of Justice in London over unpaid tax liabilities. But Pakistanis see it as a way to hide wealth.
On Monday, Dawn reported about Hasan’s bankruptcy, the order for which was issued in April and published in the UK Gazette.
Supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan lapped up the news, saying it could also be a business trick—“to extract money from other sources.”
“What does that mean? Is this some kind of game by Sharif family to skip some taxes or what?” said one user on X, with a cover photo of Imran Khan on the profile.
Podcaster Adeel Azhar took a dig by referencing the iconic Bollywood film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. “Recall how Anupam Kher’s character tells this son (Shah Rukh Khan) ‘I failed in Hindustan; you failed in London’,” Azhar said. He then proceeded to mimic how Nawaz Sharif would similarly praise his son for becoming a bankrupt in London when he could only do it in Pakistan.
"London court declares Hasan Nawaz Sharif bankrupt" pic.twitter.com/LbyWxsbkgT
— Adeel Azhar (@adeel_azhar) November 18, 2024
Many users argued that Hasan’s true wealth was parked in Swiss bank accounts—an idea supported by the leak of Credit Suisse data in 2022, which revealed that the bank held 1,400 Pakistani accounts. The average maximum balance in these accounts was PKR 841 million (Rs 25.5 crore).
“Which only means one thing: he’s trying to keep his stolen stash and not wanna pay any taxes on it. The money is perhaps parked in Swiss banks,” said a user on X.
Another user on YouTube called for inspecting Hasan’s Swiss bank accounts instead of his London accounts.
PTI supporters lap up
Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz are both a part of Pakistan’s current ruling party, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz). PML-N have come under heavy scrutiny for cracking down on journalists, students, and political opponents, the most well-known being Imran Khan.
It came as no surprise that a lot of Pakistani reactions came from supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party Khan founded in 1996.
Some Pakistanis ruled out any conspiracies attached to the bankruptcy case.
“Those who are destined to be humiliated are being humiliated everywhere. The Sharif family is also being humiliated on the international media,” said an Imran Khan supporter on X.
A parody account of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saw an opportunity for humour and posted “It’s ok. We will send him some of the public funds from our treasury to make him whole.”
The bankruptcy order followed the case brought forward by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
PTI politicians have so far not reacted to the development.
(Edited by Prashant)