Supreme Court hears Panama Leaks case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court starts hearing Panama Papers petitions today with three different prayers made in five petitions including the one filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

However, while the apex court has accepted the PTI’s request for early hearing of its petition, it will take up four other pleas one by one which deal with the same subject but seek different remedies.

The PTI’s plea seeks disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif but other petitions did not share its prayer. Two of them call for formation of a judicial commission to probe the offshore shells; one opposes this option and the fifth one demands inquiry by investigating agencies against the owners of such companies.

The PTI’s plea insists on the ouster of the premier, Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and his son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar.

On the contrary, Barrister Zafarullah’s petition prayed to the apex court order constitution of a parliamentary committee or panel to look into the Panama Papers scandal, and if there was disagreement on it in the parliament, political parties should move a vote of no confidence motion against the premier.
In his petition, Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Sirajul Haq did not name the premier as a respondent and urged the court to direct investigating agencies to launch a probe into the Panama Papers scandal, arrest the suspected culprits, recover the public money and bring it back to Pakistan because it was illegally taken out to offshore companies.

Sheikh Rashid has asked the court to appoint an inquiry panel on the lines of the Memogate Commission to look into the allegations against Nawaz Sharif’s family. Advocate Tariq Asad also prayed the same.