SC order raises Sharif family frustration

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court’s rejection of Hussain Nawaz’s plea against video recording by the Panama Joint Investigation Team (JIT) strengthened a free hand that the highest judicial forum has given to it to carry out the probe against the first family.

This order was obviously not a good news for the Sharifs and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which are desperate to hear something heartening from the three-member special implementation bench since the start of its proceedings and the formation of the JIT.

The court order endorsed the JIT decision to do video recording of all those interrogated and examined by it although the team’s determination has been widely discarded for being unlawful and not worthy of evidence to be presented in a court of law.

The government’s utmost effort was to get an order from the Supreme Court against video recording prior to the prime minister’s appearance before the JIT on June 15 but in vain. Since the court had not prevented the JIT from this kind of recording by that time, it is safely believed that the CCTV footage was made of Nawaz Sharif’s statement that he read out to the JIT and answers to questions that he gave to it for three hours.

Hussain had prayed to the court that the JIT should be stopped from video recording. He raised it after his photo taken from the CCTV feed of the interrogation room of the JIT on May 28 was leaked. The court held that the recording will be used only for preparing transcripts and will not be presented as evidence.

The order hyped the frustration of the Sharif family, being consistently showcased by different official spokesmen on daily basis. It wanted a concrete action from the bench on the WhatsApp calls made by the court registrar to the Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Chairman and State Bank of Pakistan Governor to get two specific names – Bilal Rasool and Amer Aziz - for inclusion in the JIT. Rather, the issue was disposed of with the remarks that the registrar had done so on the bench’s orders.

The defendants are also deeply depressed due to non-action on their complaints against the JIT, which, when brought to the notice of the bench, went almost unnoticed. They are dejected that they have not been given any relief so far while they have asserted that those summoned by the JIT faced harassment.

One complaint was that some JIT members intimidated and threatened the premier’s cousin, Tariq Shafi, to withdraw his affidavit, earlier given to the Supreme Court during hearings in the Panama case or face a prolonged imprisonment.

Another complaint was highlighted by the Sharif family friend, Javed Kayani, who after his appearance before the JIT claimed that he was ominously asked by its members to become approver against Sharifs.

Yet another complaint was filed by National Bank of Pakistan President Saeed Ahmad, which was pointed out to the court registrar through a letter that he was made to face agonizing wait and he felt during his questioning by the JIT as if he was a condemned prisoner.

The Prime Minister House complained that the JIT report submitted to the apex court showed that the phones of witnesses were being bugged and their movements being monitored by the JIT.

As the Sharif family is upset and in deep commotion for not getting any relief from the special bench despite lodging a number of complaints with it, its archrival - the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) - is thrilled and electrified, taking sadistic pleasure in its increasing woes.

On the other hand, Hussain’s plea seeking prevention of video recording has been trashed; Nihal Hashmi is being proceeded for contempt of court although the PML-N had suspended his party membership and got his resignation from the Senate hours after emergence of his controversial statement which was followed by his expulsion from the PML-N; two government departments – the SECP and Intelligence Bureau - have come under pressure because of the actions ordered against them etc.

The bench has directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to probe the JIT’s claim of tampering of record by the SECP. The Intelligence Bureau chief has been asked to answer many questions specifically about the preparation of lowdowns of the JIT members.

There is hardly any JIT, police investigating body or any other probe forum, reporting to the Supreme Court on different matters, whose findings are approved by it. In most cases, the court expresses its dissatisfaction over such reports and orders such bodies to do more to reach the truth in the matter under investigation. At times, the court reprimands these forums in harsh words for not doing proper work. These are the bodies which are not constituted by the court. The present JIT, created by the apex court, has not earned its disapproval even once. Rather the court has expressed its satisfaction over its two reports presented thus far. Additionally, it believed some claims and assertions made by the JIT in the list of impediments in the way of investigation.