Panama Leaks case: Live from Courtroom No1

ISLAMABAD: It’s all about a key moment as it happened in the Courtroom No1. It is even more important than you think. It was felt like one giant leap for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. There prevailed pindrop silence. Almost everyone stood up. Worthy judges asked counsels to stop their arguments. It was perhaps a turning point in the PanamaLeaks case on Wednesday.

“How can we de-seat an elected prime minister — just based on these absolutely sketchy documents,” it was a special moment when Justice Asif Khosa captured everyone’s attention in the hall. The PTI’s top leadership left their chairs and got closer to podium. Sharifs’ family top lawyers — Salman Aslam Butt and Akram Sheikh — again wanted to go through bundles of pages one last time before the proceedings resumed.

Then a feeling of pensive sadness could be witnessed on the faces of PTI’s Chairman Imran Khan, JI Ameer Sirajul Haq and AML chief Sheikh Rashid, who were standing next to the respondents’ counsels. A moment of melancholy continued to surround the complainants when Justice Khosa observed: “This is a heavy responsibility on our shoulders and we cannot shrug it off.” Salman Butt, counsel for Premier Sharif, resumed his arguments and tried to convince judges to exclude his client as this is a matter between a grandfather and grandsons.

But judges were not in mood of buying his arguments. How could we ignore the facts presented before us, a judge observed: “First complainants failed to produce substantive documentary evidences and then the respondents’ lawyers were not giving satisfactory answers in support their clients in this court of law.”

Burden of proof again shifted to Sharifs’ counsels in the court. By not providing documentary evidences to us, dear counsel you are playing a dangerous game, a top court's judge told Salman Butt. At that moment PML-N well-wishers looked worried even Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Mohammad Zubair left their chairs. Salman Butt continued to convince judges that his client had neither been a part of his family business not Maryam Nawaz was his dependent. But Mr Butt made it clear that he failed to collect forty years old documents citing certain legal hurdles. Perhaps he somewhat managed to convince judges at the moment before they left for a tea break. But many independent lawyers, during the tea break, were not satisfied with his arguments even a former president of Supreme Court Bar Association said: "Mr Butt is following a winding course." 

Clock struck 12pm and judged again took their seats. Judges invited both parties telling them why not we should form an inquiry commission as both the respondents and the complainants failed to answer the necessary questions. Abruptly another key moment came when Justice Khosa recalled an interview of Premier Sharif with famous anchor Hamid Mir where Sharif called spade a spade that “I consciously decided to part my ways with family’s business—just to pursue politics.” 

Judges asked for the script of this interview advising all parties to come up with suggestions either the top court should form a commission or to decide this case itself. Thirty minutes break then came in the hall. Before judges reassembled again, this correspondent talked to JI Ameer who said: “Today the SC vindicated my stance.” How? This correspondent again asked. "Because we are heading towards a commission - our basic demand to probe the leaks," responded Haq. He smiled when State Minister Anusha Rehman came over. PML-N legal team has done a great job today, the decent looking Anusha said. Really? "Yes, because worthy judges accepted their stance that Maryam Nawaz has never been a dependent as mixed up by the opponents.” 

In another interesting episode, many lawyers sitting in front rows whispered each other’s ears that how do two PML-N legislators keep constantly updating Hussain Nawaz from the Courtroom No 1 via whatapps. Similar gossips amused many in the Courtroom even PTI's top leadership kept discussing how PM kids were hiding their assets. Then Akram Sheikh interrupted judges as telling them that he has had all the documents my lordship is seeking for. But the chief justice did not listen to him and Imran Khan again whispered something into Naeem Bokhari’s ears.

Then it was the time when both parties were asked by the top court to come up with thoughts on possible forming of judicial an inquiry commission tomorrow (Friday).