Nawaz, Imran disqualification cases
PM’s lawyer terms allegations against premier baseless
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has clubbed all the references filed against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan and others for their involvement in PanamaLeaks saying that it would determine its jurisdiction in this regard.
The ECP also summoned a reply from PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Secretary General Jehangir Khan Tareen over the references sent by the National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq for their disqualification.
On Monday, an ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan and comprising all the four members of the commission took up references against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Hamza Shahbaz and Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar for their alleged involvement in the PanamaLeaks scandal.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif filed an application with the ECP seeking setting aside the petitions submitted against him by the opposition parties with regard to the Panama Papers.On his behalf, his lawyer and former attorney general Salman Butt filed the application in which Nawaz Sharif termed the allegations leveled by four opposition parties (PTI, PPP, PAT and AML) against him ‘baseless’. He made it clear having no association with any offshore company mentioned in the Panama Papers.
The EC bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan, heard the applications, filed by the opposition parties seeking the prime minister’s disqualification. The commission also sent a notice to Imran Khan in connection with the disqualification reference forwarded to it by NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
Salman Butt also submitted reply, consisting of over 200 pages, on behalf of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with regard to the applications filed by the opposition parties. Others, on whose behalf the reply was filed, included Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Hamza Shahbaz and Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar, who is the son-in-law of Premier Nawaz.
The documents submitted before the commission argued that no tangible evidence was produced by the petitioners against the prime minister and challenged the ECP’s jurisdiction, stating the commission was not directly authorised to disqualify a member of parliament.
It was also pointed out to the forum that there was no mention of the prime minister in the PanamaLeaks and he also had no association with the offshore companies owned by his children.The prime minister’s counsel urged the ECP to first take up the application challenging jurisdiction of the commission.
On this, Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Raza remarked that the commission would decide the issue of its jurisdiction first, adjourning further hearings till November 2. He added that the commission would try to hold proceedings on daily basis.
Earlier, while prime minister’s lawyer said he was ready to respond to the objections raised by the rivals. However, PTI’s lawyer Hamid Khan sought time for preparation for this purpose. He was given initially a week. However, the CEC adjourned the hearing till November 02, when he contended that the Supreme Court Bar Association election was due.
The CEC said that first of all, the matter pertaining to the ECP jurisdiction with regard to the applications filed against the prime minister would be decided.The commission also adjourned the hearing of the PTI foreign funding case until December 1, 2016. The case was filed by PTI’s founding member Akbar S Babar in November 2014.
The ruling PML-N’s Daniyal Aziz alleged that the PTI was telling another white lie and it would be exposed in the ECP vis-a-vis the PanamaLeaks. He added yet again the false story of 35 punctures was being repeated.
PAT’s Khurram Nawaz Gandapur criticised the Election Commission for not barring Nawaz Sharif from functioning as the PM as they prayed in the petition.Meanwhile, Imran Khan alleged that the prime minister’s reply filed with the ECP was based on a lie that his daughter Maryam was not dependent on him.
Talking to media persons here after chairing a consultative meeting on the upcoming PTI’s event in the federal capital, Imran said that the reply filed by the lawyer of the prime minister was based on a lie.
He noted that they had also filed documents with the ECP according to which till 2011, Maryam Nawaz was dependent on her father Nawaz Sharif. “The reply by the prime minister shows that he is running away from accountability vis-a-vis the Panama Papers,” he alleged.
The PTI chairman went on to allege that Nawaz Sharif’s fresh lie in the ECP submitted by his lawyer, proved that he was not afraid of being held accountable and also did not fear lying in parliament.
Imran feared that in order to save himself from accountability, the prime minister would use every possible machination. But he cautioned that they would not allow him to use his official position to change the official record and added any such bid would be strongly resisted.
The PTI chairman maintained that the prime minister’s lie was itself a big challenge to the ECP. He asserted whatever effort the prime minister might make, they would not sit till his accountability with regard to his lies and looting of the national wealth was carried out.
The PTI’s meeting pondered over legal means with regard to possible arrests of the party leaders and workers to bar them from being part of its planned shutting down of the federal capital on October 30. It was decided that any such measure by the authorities would be challenged in courts.