Govt has reservations about JIT

Talal says SC has been told about reservations; Hassan, Hussain should be given rights equal to what Pak expats are enjoying; there shouldn’t be separate law for Sharif family; PM to exercise all his rights which he voluntarily withdrew

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Monday expressed reservations about the proceedings of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on the PanamaLeaks case.

Speaking to journalists, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Talal Chaudhry said that the prime minister will exercise all his rights which he voluntarily withdrew from the Supreme Court's proceedings, Geo News and other media outlets reported.

He added that the government had conveyed its reservations to the Supreme Court but will not like to talk about it in the public. “We hold the right to exercise the constitutional rights which are given to every Pakistani citizen. We hope that the Supreme Court's JIT will not apply different laws for Nawaz Sharif. We didn’t take immunity before nor now,” he said, adding, “Hassan and Hussain Nawaz should be given the rights which are enjoyed by any non-resident Pakistani.”

The lawmaker said the Sharif family will ask for protection of all of its legal rights, which were enjoyed by every Pakistani. "There should not be one law for the Sharif family and another law for other Pakistanis," he added.

Reacting to Imran Khan’s criticism of the prime minister over his Saudi tour, the lawmaker said Imran Khan’s information was always insufficient. “Imran Khan doesn’t know about national issues, let alone international affairs,” he said.

He accused Khan of saving the people trying to damage the Pakistan Army’s credibility. He said some elements tried to distort the image of Pakistan and its forces and the ongoing FIA drive was an effort to teach them about the freedom of speech.