Pakistan’s former Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar, became a topic of discussion on social media after a short clip of his interview with BBC’s show ‘The Hard Talk’ went viral on Twitter on Tuesday.
Dar appeared on the show as a guest with BBC Anchor Stephen Sackur on his show Hardtalk on Monday. Dar struggled to give satisfactory answers to the grilling given to him by the host on the show, which caught the attention of social media.
Dar was at a loss for words when the host asked him about the number of properties he and his family own.
“It’s all declared in my tax returns,” Dar replied. The host insisted on him giving a clear and coherent answer and reiterated that he just wanted a simple answer to his question on how many properties he and his family had.
To which Dar said: “I have my main residence in Pakistan which has been taken over by this regime. My sole property is my residence”.
Stephen Sackur: "How many properties do you and your family own?"
Ishaq Dar: 😳😳😳https://t.co/Aboi2uOsXw
— Hashim (@hashim_i) December 1, 2020
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Dar also denied the reports of Pakistani media claiming of his multiple residences and properties in Pakistan and other countries.
Sackur again asked him about the properties his sons own outside Pakistan, in London and Dubai. Sackur asked him if he had a property in London, to which Ishaq Dar answered he did not.
Dar explained that his sons have been in business for the past seventeen years and they are independent of him. However, he admitted that they own villas in Dubai.
Sackur then asked why he does not return to Pakistan if he owns a single property in the entire world and has his tax returns on records and makes a case at the court of law. He also asked him was he still sick – he has been in the UK for over three years now.
To which Dar responded that he is here in the UK for medical treatment while his lawyers have been representing him at the courts. He said he has a cervical issue for which he has been getting treatment for the past three years.
Read more: Ishaq Dar’s seized residence converted to a shelter home
He added that there has been a human rights crisis in Pakistan. “I am here for my medical issue,” and that “there is a human rights crisis in Pakistan, and people under the custody of the National Accountability have been virtually killed,” claimed Dar at the end of the short clip.