Live from Courtroom No2

PanamaLeaks case

The country's top court finally dropped a hint on Tuesday to conclude hearing of the PanamaLeaks case this week. 

The day started with usual enthusiasm. The apex court's ushers with fresh look opened a beautiful tall door adorned with wooden-embroidery, moments after a golden clock stroke 9:30am. 

Worthy judges took their seats. Audience stood up to show respect for their lordships. There approached a time when chiefs of two top regulators — the Federal Board of Revenue and the National Accountability Bureau — came under fire time and again.  Both the FBR and NAB according to worthy judges badly failed to take action against the accused named in Panama Papers.

NAB chairman Qamar Zaman again earned judges’ wrath moments after he told the apex court that he affirmed on his view not to file appeal into Hudabiya Paper Mills case.  "Tell us in point-blank—will you file appeal in this case--?” questioned Justice Asif Saeed Khosa who was heading this larger bench.

“I stand by my views,” NAB chairman responded while taking a short pause.  “You stand by your views—face the consequences,” observed Justice Azmat, who almost apparently snubbed him.

Everyone was asking why the NAB did not file an appeal against the four-year-old Lahore High Court’s verdict for quashing Rs1.2 billion Hudabiya Paper Mills case against the Sharifs. 

FBR Chairman Dr Irshad showed his inability to probe cases of 39 people who are non-residents.  They were named in Panama Papers. As the apex court kept grilling NAB and FBR, senior leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf were happy even some of them clapped.

Two female-state-ministers—Anusha Rehman Khan and Maryam Aurangzeb—were discussing something 'serious in the courtroom'. Both lady legislators were sitting next to MNA Talal Chaudhry who was forming his post-hearing media strategy with MNA Danial Aziz. Before the tea break started judges again came hard over the NAB Chief who looked dejected even perhaps was losing grip over his arguments on the dice.

He found himself in deep trouble all the time while Prosecutor General Asim Qadeer Dar was assisting him. But judges wanted direct answers from the NAB chief even though many times Mr Dar sought their permission to respond tough queries. “It’s enough—you [Mr Prosecutor General] are misleading the court rather to assist us,” Justice Gulzar observed.

When both regulators failed to convince the court it was Justice Khosa who told why was this Leaks before this court. “It’s a regulators’ failure—nobody was willing to take the responsibility—we’ve accepted an extraordinary responsibility just for sake of public interest.” 

Then judges thanked the regulators’ representatives and left the courtroom for thirty minutes--a break for tea. It was Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf who started his arguments where Justice Khosa sought his opinion on re-opening of reference quashed by LHC in 2014.  Being country’s top law officer Mr Ausaf was of the view that it is difficult to answer.  He will continue to his arguments today (Wednesday).