Assets case adjourned

The Lahore High Court on Monday adjourned for more arguments a petition challenging alleged foreign assets maintained by 64 known personalities of Pakistan, including incumbent and former rulers and their families, advocates, two ex-chief justices, and a property tycoon.

Justice Khalid Mahmood Khan was hearing petition of Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafree when a deputy attorney general appeared and sought more time to file reply on behalf of the government. The hearing was adjourned for March 8. Barrister Jafree stated in his petition that the respondents/individuals transferred at least $400 billion to foreign countries through money laundering. He said by doing this the politicians caused a huge loss to national exchequer. He said these politicians had not yet submitted to the court their affidavits about the money laundering despite repeated court orders.  The respondents include incumbent Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his wife Kulsoom Nawaz, son Hussain Nawaz, and brother Shahbaz Sharif (Punjab Chief Minister), PTI chief Imran Khan and his former wife Jemima Goldsmith, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and his wife, former president Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Faryal Talpur, former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf, Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan, former interior minister Rehman Malik, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Ali Khan, Pervaiz Elahi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Malik Riaz of Bahria Town, former Chief Justices of LHC Khwaja Muhammad Sharif and Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry, former presidents of SCBA Hamid Khan, Asma Jahangir, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan and his wife Bushra Aitzaz. —Correspondent