ISLAMABAD: As the Supreme Court Wednesday resumes hearings against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his three children on account of London apartments and offshore companies after a two-week break, the enactment of usual unabated drama of addressing daily pressers by the political petitioners and defendants will unfold once again to continue till the conclusion of the high-profile case.
Their performance will remain in full swing in the next few days, and may persist for quite some time even after a ruling will be handed down. While the five-judge bench is always engaged in specific, thoughtful deliberations with the lawyers of the two sides presenting the stories of their clients in a serious manner without resorting to political gimmicks, the press encounters outside of the courtroom are all the time full of sound and fury and exceptional aggression. They reflect only political pursuits and obsessions.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his close associates have been using the protracted proceedings on the present petitions as a good opportunity to hammer the Sharif family hard outside of the courtroom at the end of every hearing. Since the opening of these proceedings, their politics has been focused and confined to them. As the case remained adjourned for two weeks due to illness of Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, the PTI’s political campaign had also remained lukewarm during this period. The Panama Papers’ disclosures are its sole agenda point while eyeing the 2018 general elections.
As Imran Khan and a bevy of PTI spokesmen interpret the day’s proceedings in their own style and assign their meanings to them, a heavy squad of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which also includes federal ministers, is just round the corner to retaliate and offer their version about the hearing. Virtually, they lock horns every day in a lethal competition to overshadow each other as the apex court hears the petitions.
More than once, the judges have gently counseled the contestants to avoid pressers on the premises of the top court and refrain from commenting on the proceedings, stopping short of imposing a ban on them, but the combatants have never paid any heed to the soft advice. At one point, a senior justice had remarked that the bench did not want to clamp restrictions on the freedom of expression and speech.
Once, the PML-N offered to the PTI to halt addressing press conferences, concentrating on the court proceedings, but it was stubbornly dismissed as inconsequential by its rival. There is not one news conference each by every side, but there are several pressers by both parties every day in which they continue to indulge in repetitions.
Their concerted efforts are meant to sway the public opinion in their favour and also attempt to put pressure on the judges, who, however, have refused to budge from adhering to the Constitution and law. At times, the justices have stated that they could not be pressured and would go by the book to deliver justice in the instant case.
It was quite possible that the case would have seen wrapping up resulting in a judgment had Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed not been hit by the serious illness. After the panel will open the hearing, starting from where it had left on January 31, it is unexpected to take too long because it has covered many important stages of proceedings.
The petitioners’ lawyers have already advanced their arguments. The attorneys of most defendants have also presented their submissions to a large extent. When the case was last adjourned, Salman Akram Raja, who represents Hussain and Hassan, was on his feet and was likely to take a couple of more days to conclude his arguments. He will pick up the threads of his unfinished assertions on Wednesday.
After he will wind up in a day or so, PTI lawyer Naeem Bokhari will give his rejoinder to the submissions, offered by the premier’s lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan, Maryam’s advocate Shahid Hamid and Salman Akram Raja.
Last hearing had turned out to be very tough for the attorney of Hussain and Hassan. At one stage, the bench had told him that the defendants were playing a gamble by passing the buck on to each other. However, Salman Akram Raja had stated that he will not gamble.
The judges were informed that the petitioner had leveled allegations against the Sharif family but failed to provide solid evidence in support. Imran Khan had also told the court that he was here only to hurl allegations and not to present proofs in their support.
The lawyer had questioned if the prime minister could be sentenced if Hussain concealed anything from the court. He said it was the job of the petitioner to allege without evidence. Justice Ijazul Ahsan had observed that the court could only give its verdict on undisputed facts.
At one point, Salman Akram Raja submitted that he could not explain the money trail and should not be expected to give its details.