Moonis Elahi in London for important meetings amid political heat

• Sources say Elahi will meet a few important political persons currently based in London. 
• Source in Nawaz Sharif’s family says no meeting planned but Shahbaz Sharif called Chaudharies of Gujarat two weeks ago.
  
• Elahi says he would inform media if any meetings take place.

LONDON: Minister for Water Resources and PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi is set to hold important political meetings in London.

Elahi confirmed to Geo News that he will be staying in London for around four days but he said that he will not be holding any political meetings during his stay. However, trusted sources have shared a different story.

Sources have said that Elahi will meet a few important political persons currently based in London. 

A source in Nawaz Sharif’s family said that there was no meeting planned but Shahbaz Sharif called on Chaudharies of Gujarat two weeks ago – after a very long time – and relations have improved between both sides.

Elahi reached London on Thursday afternoon via British Airways flight BA 260.

When contacted by Geo News, Elahi said that he had come to London on a private visit. He said that he will be spending time in London to deal with some family matters.

Elahi said that PML-Q remained an ally of PTI-led governments in the centre and Punjab and decisions for the future course of action will be taken by Pervaiz Elahi, his father and former Punjab chief minister.

Since the Opposition filed a no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan, the minister for water resources has struck a conciliatory tone and has asked PM Imran Khan to advise his lawmakers to stay calm and not panic. 

However, his father has minced no words in recent days and said that PM Imran Khan’s government was "incompetent and failed on many fronts." 

Elahi said that PM Imran Khan’s nappies were changed by someone else for over 3.5 years and that the help he was receiving to run and manage the government was not available anymore to him.

Elahi also said that Imran Khan had made a fatal mistake by interfering in the internal affairs of the Pakistan military.

In September 2020, The News had reported that upon the instructions of PM Imran Khan’s office, the government had asked the UK to help trace any hidden assets belonging to Elahi in the UK.

Trusted sources had shared with The News that the Pakistani government authorities had made extensive inquiries to find details of assets, if any, owned directly or indirectly by Moonis Elahi, Pervaiz Elahi, Chaudhary Shujaat or any of the other family members.

At least two requests were sent to the British government to assist in the pursuit of assets tracing but so far the search has yielded no positive results.

The federal government sent the first request to the UK government’s Home Office around two years ago after the PTI and Pakistan Muslim League (Q) entered into a coalition in Punjab and the Centre. 

That request was on behalf of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and another investigating agency. A similar letter was also sent to the British Virgin Islands, seeking to trace out the alleged assets of Elahi. Both the Home Office and the BVI informed Pakistani officials that they were unable to trace assets.

Sources have told The News that a new request — not by the NAB – was launched in recent months to find out if Elahi, his father, his uncle Shujaat, and other family members own any assets in the UK.

In early 2018, the PML-Q leader appeared before the NAB to answer questions about his name in the Panama papers.

Elahi has maintained that all his assets are declared to authorities in Pakistan.

Pervaiz Elahi alleged this week that on the one hand his party was part of the PTI government but on the other hand PM Imran Khan’s govt had attempted to get Moonis arrested through the NAB.