No ownership of any offshore company, PM to tell SC

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will categorically state, among other assertions, in his response to the notice issued by the Supreme Court on the offshore companies, that since he doesn’t own any such shell, he has nothing to offer in this connection.

However, he will leave to his daughter Maryam Nawaz and sons Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz to defend themselves before the apex court in relation to the offshore concerns, it is reliably learnt by The News.

The prime minister will particularly refer to the admission of a gross mistake by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which had earlier mentioned his name among the owners of the offshore companies. It later conceded that his name was inadvertently mentioned by it and uploaded on its website that it subsequently scrapped.

Only legal and constitutional experts can explain how Nawaz Sharif will be further implicated in the judicial proceedings when he will unquestionably maintain that he is not the proprietor of any offshore shell, a fact that is supported by the ICIJ record.

However, he will be embroiled in the process if his obsessive rivals particularly Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan will prove with solid material and evidence, and not through accusing public statement, satisfying the court, that the premier actually owns an offshore company.

It is further understood that in his rejoinder Nawaz Sharif will call for an inclusive investigation into all the offshore companies by an appropriate judicial forum so that the culprits are caught and mud-slinging on others comes to a halt. He will restate his willingness to constitute a judicial commission in consultation with the opposition parties.

When the Panama Papers disclosures emerged in April this year, Hussain Nawaz repeatedly publicly clarified his position and also declared that he was ready to appear before any superior court and judicial commission to give his side of the story to prove his innocence.

There are clear indications from official quarters that Hussain Nawaz will file his reply to the notice of the apex court putting in plain words the details pertaining to the offshore companies.

As far as Hassan Nawaz is concerned, he is a British national and is doing his business in Britain for more than two decades. A question will arise whether he is governed by Pakistan’s law. But he too is expected to file his reply.

Maryam Nawaz will do the same and will take the stand that she is not a beneficiary of the offshore companies and her name was linked with them just to meet a technical requirement.

While Hussain and Hassan have always stayed away from politics or have been kept away from it by their father, Maryam is bracing up for a leading political role. Behind-the-scenes, she is working hard in different areas including the media, health and education sectors for the government. It was for this reason that the prime minister has acclaimed her role in the launch of the health insurance scheme.

It is not known how the PTI’s petition associated Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar with offshore companies when he neither owns any such firm nor was his name even slightly connected with any shell even in the lists released by the ICIJ.  It is learnt that Dar’s reply will be simple and straight that he doesn’t own any such company, and therefore he has nothing to reply. Additionally, he will assert that even the Panama Papers did not refer to him in this regard. The onus of establishing before the apex court that Dar is the owner of an offshore company will be on Imran Khan. 

It was clear from the prime minister’s instant “wholehearted” welcome of the formal initiation of proceedings by the Supreme Court on the offshore companies that he hailed the process for the mere fact that he has nothing to hide and nothing to answer for not having any such shell.

His direction to his legal team not to oppose the maintainability of the five petitions also reflected that the premier wants a thorough investigation in the offshore companies at the highest judicial forum.

While Imran Khan was thrilled over the issuance of notices to the prime minister and members of his family saying that the “king” has to come “under the law”, the prime minister was satisfied over the development so that the issue is settled once and for all after the truth comes out conclusively. But his hope that the crisis will come to an end due to the start of the court hearing was shattered a few moments later when the PTI chairman announced that he will go ahead with his plan to lock down Islamabad on November 2.

Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali will not represent the premier or any member of his family in the Supreme Court, but a team of lawyers including Salman Aslam Butt will do this job. However, the attorney general will assist the court as per the standard practice.