The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a notice to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and others over petitions seeking his disqualification on account of Panama Papers leaks.
The case has been adjourned for two weeks.
On August 28, Hamid Khan and Naeem Bukhari filed a constitutional petition on behalf of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairperson Imran Khan. The petition sought disqualification of PM and members of his family for their alleged involvement in Panama Papers scandal.
Meanwhile, the three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali rejected Watan Party’s plea not to form the commission to probing the leaks.
The bench also refused to pass an order for restraining the PTI hold a sit in [in the federal capital] on November 2. The Chief Justice observed that when the executive would fail to protect the fundamental rights of citizens, then the top court would intervene to protect their rights. The bench issued notices to all the respondents in the four petitioners.
Earlier on Wednesday, the PM discussed with his close aides legal options the federal government can exercise in its defence at judicial and constitutional forums against allegations levelled in light of Panama leaks.
Notes were exchanged between the prime minister and his legal aides, including Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf, Law Minister Zahid Hamid and former AGP Salman Aslam Butt in deliberations that were kept low-key apparently in a bid to avoid media attention.
A strategy is also being chalked out to defend references and cases involving Panama leaks in the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Lahore High Court.
On the same day, Imran Khan said the premier is under a wrong impression about forming a government in 2018 because that day is too far. “Thousands of people will gather in Islamabad on November 2,” the PTI chairman said. “People have realised that Nawaz Sharif needs to be held accountable to purge this country of corruption.”
Imran reiterated that his protest in the federal capital on November 2 won’t end unless the premier stepped down or returned the ‘looted money’ to the exchequer.
The government and the opposition parties have been unable to evolve joint Terms of Reference (ToR). While the government insists that investigation should involve all those named in corruption cases, opposition parties, mainly PTI says that it should begin with the assets of the premier’s family.
On May 13, Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali declined government’s request to form a commission to investigate the leaks, saying legislation by the parliament as well as resolution of the ToRs issue needs to be resolved first.
