Hoti says ANP to honour SC verdict on Panama case

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party’s (ANP) provincial president and former chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti said Tuesday the Joint Investigation Team’s (JIT) report was a mere investigation and both sides should wait for the Supreme Court’s verdict, which should be honoured.

Addressing a press conference at the Bacha Khan Markaz, central headquarters of the party, here, he said that the ANP would neither take side with Nawaz Sharif nor Imran Khan. “It would respect the decision of the Supreme Court,” he added.

The ANP leader said that the standpoint of the ANP over the issue of Panama Leaks and JIT was clear from the day one. “The ANP believes that the allegations of corruptions against anyone should be probed and if it is against the prime minister, it should be investigated first. And if the allegations are proved true, he should go home,” he remarked.

But hue and cry should not be created on the basis of mere allegations. He said that everyone should wait for the Supreme Court verdict. The SC would have several options before it, he said, adding, it can decide the matter on the basis of the available documents or totally reject the JIT report.

It also has the authority to refer the matter to another forum for further investigation, he argued. “Therefore, we should wait for the Supreme Court’s verdict instead of jumping to conclusion,” he remarked.

At the outset of his talk to media, he explained that the press briefing was arranged after a series of meetings of the party not because of the situation arising after the submission of JIT report.