Away from all the drama in the Pakistan Assembly, eyes are turning once again to Park Lane in London where former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif stays. No one who keeps an eye on political developments in Pakistan has ever turned their eyes away from this street in London really. Nawaz Sharif has always remained the unseen force – he may not remain unseen long – in shaping Pakistani politics.
It is inconceivable that all the moves and machinations in Pakistan could have taken place without Nawaz Sharif in the thick of them. Or that the military could have played its role without a strategic alliance with Nawaz Sharif. The cases against him, that have been going nowhere, are certain now to be dropped in good time. Nawaz Sharif will then be in a head-on confrontation with his old rival Imran Khan.
Taxing Times: The reason Akshata Murti changed her stand on paying taxes in the UK on her Infosys earnings are politically clear. Following media reports that she was not paying taxes in the UK on her dividends from Infosys, she has said she will now pay tax on all her income anywhere in the world “because I want to, not because the rules require me to”. She had said earlier that her non-domicile status had meant she was not required to pay taxes in the UK.
That stand set off a media furore. She, and with her husband Rishi Sunak who is finance minister, we’re accused by the opposition Labour Party of using her non-domicile status to save on millions of pounds in taxes. Her changed stand now should calm the opposition.
But no one is forgetting that the change came only after she was publicly cornered into making that change. The Sunday Times reports that Sunak even considered resigning over the earlier disclosures. The change Mrs Sunak says, will come “immediately”.
Boris in Kyiv: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s bold visit to Kyiv brings a new legitimacy to his tough talk against Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his visit to India. Johnson is expected to pile strong diplomatic pressure on India to shift its position into a firm condemnation of the Russian invasion.
India has condemned atrocities, it has asked for a peaceful and political resolution. But a lot of the world is not convinced by the fine print. Johnson will amplify that demand to seek to push India into clear condemnation.
The optics around that visit have strengthened Johnson domestically, as it was no doubt intended to do. But it seems Johnson can live with an announcement of a trade deal, even if he does not win India over against Russia, Putin particularly. An Indian deal in the bag after the dramatic visit to Kyiv should do Boris Johnson nicely.
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