Live from Courtroom No2

PanamaLeaks case

ISLAMABAD: The judges put the top law officer on his heels on Wednesday as they considered “whether to give declaration in PanamaLeaks case.” It was perhaps the only question everybody was asking in the Courtroom No2.

It happened when a five-member bench questioned the role of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman for not investigating those named in the Panama papers, and not to file appeal into Hudabiya Paper Mills case in particular.

“The insurance policy [NAB chief] has put [card of] Makhdoom Ali Khan’s client [prime minister] into the shredder,” remarked Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh.

The day started with judges’ curiosity either the principal law officer of the country was arguing for the Sharifs’ family or assisting the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Judges time and again asked Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali to guide them “how can the SC deal with plethora of allegations leveled by the petitioners?”

Then the very next moment, it was Justice Ijazul Ahsan who observed: “Some of admissions have already been made in this case [by the respondents] — how to handle them.” On Tuesday, all the five judges grilled both NAB and FBR chairmen who, according to judges, showed apathy in probing the Leaks. 

Meanwhile, worthy judges kept asking questions — continued reading speeches of prime minister time and again — they also dropped hints even that the court might be giving declaration sooner than later. 

The court was apparently not in mood of letting Attorney General of Pakistan to prolong his arguments. Mr Austhar’s arguments continued for four and a half hours. He guided the court what the appropriate forum was for making a declaration under Article 62(1)(f), and while making such a declaration if the provisions of Article 10-A would be attracted.