Periodic JIT reports not to be made public

ISLAMABAD: The brief hearing on the maiden report of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) by the three-member special bench of the Supreme Court cleared up certain points. 

One, it became clear that the JIT’s periodic reports, which are obviously inconclusive, filed with the apex court, will not be made public. The court will subsequently take a decision to the effect on the final findings.

The bench led by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan turned down a plea raised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesman Fawad Chaudhry that the JIT report should be shared with the public. The judge asked him to quote any law in support of his argument that the report should be publically released.

Even after the trashing of his assertion by the bench, Fawad Chaudhry repeated in his subsequent presser that every citizen wants to know what is the investigation being conducted. He also said for political reasons that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will be summoned by the JIT.

Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed asked Fawad Chaudhry whether he wants to benefit the other side (Sharif family) by seeking the release of the report. He also said that the finding will be made public at the appropriate time and asked the PTI leader not to spoil the probe.

After opening the sealed envelope containing the initial report, the judges reviewed it and closed it again to keep its contents under the wraps.

Another point that crystallized was that the JIT headed by senior Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officer Wajid Zia will hopefully complete its job within the specified timeline of sixty days.

It has been generally argued from day one that given the complex, multifaceted task assigned to the JIT, the team will not be able to conclude its work in two months. Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan reminded Wajid Zia that the JIT is required to dispose of its task within this period. The FIA official later said that the JIT will be successful in meeting the target.

Not only the bench wants the JIT to complete its investigation within the stated time but the team also seems poised to meet the challenge it has been given.

The third point that emerged from the proceedings was that the bench was satisfied with the work so far done by the JIT. Justice Azmat Saeed observed that the bench has seen the report and was not expressing dissatisfaction over it. Usually, superior courts are not always content with the reports of different investigation agencies and issue instructions to the concerned officials in this connection so that real facts come out about a certain matter referred to them.

The fourth fact that surfaced was that the apex court felt that the investigation being carried out by the JIT was heading towards the right direction to reach the truth about certain financial matters of the premier and his family members.

The fifth point related to the remarks of the judges, who told the JIT to let them know if any institution or officials were not extending the desired cooperation to the team or were dragging the matter. Then they will take action against them. Justice Ijazul Ahsan said that no interference with the working of the JIT by anyone would be tolerated.

It also became clear that the JIT is going to submit to the Supreme Court a total of three more reports including the last one in a span of six weeks if it meets the deadline. The next finding will be filed on June 7.

What remained unclear was how the JIT will ask questions from the prime minister – through a personal interview and at which place, the premier’s office or the Federal Judicial Academy, where it is holding its proceedings. There was no mention of sending any letter, containing queries, to the Qatari prince by the JIT.

However, it is quite likely that not only these points but many more might have been taken care of in the first report handed over to the Supreme Court, which was not disclosed. After apex court had wound up the hearings on the Panama case, the media circus, held for months outside it, had come to an end. However, it was revived as the proceedings were held on the preliminary report of the JIT, marked by claims, allegations and accusations and instant rejoinders to such assertions to cash in on politically.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan was present in the courtroom for the first time after the conclusion of the arguments in the Panama case. However, he has consciously avoided appearing even once in the top court when it has been hearing the petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi and senior PTI leader Jehangir Tareen, seeking their disqualification on charges of hiding their offshore company, tax evasion and misstatements. They are staying away so that the allegations, hurled over them, do not get undue projection, causing embarrassment to them.