Panama case: SC to give verdict as per law, Constitution, says Marriyum

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the Supreme Court (SC) would decide the Panama Papers case strictly in accordance with the law and constitution.

While talking to media outside the Supreme Court, Marriyum said on Friday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his sons did not claim exemption available to them and instead presented themselves for accountability.  She said despite a lengthy and minute investigation process, there was not a shred of evidence to prove allegations of corruption, commission, kickbacks or misuse of power by the elected prime minister.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Sharif family had also submitted all the required documents before the Supreme Court bench. She said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had   full respect for judges of higher judiciary. She said PML-N had reservations about the JIT report and these were part of the Supreme Court record.

Marriyum Aurangzeb dispelled the impression that Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan was angry with the party. She said everyone had his own point of view but it did not mean differences within the party.

Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali expressed confidence that Muhammad Nawaz Sharif would be re-elected as the prime minister in the general elections 2018. “General public had given mandate to Nawaz Sharif in 2013 and they would again repose confidence in him in 2018 elections on performance basis,” he said.

He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan was developing and progressing day by day. He said mega development projects initiated and completed by the PML-N government were not being digested by anti-development forces, as they did not want to see Pakistan flourish.

He said that the network of highways and motorways was being expanded across the country, the menace of terrorism was being eliminated completely and several projects under the game-changer China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) were heading towards completion.

He criticised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for undue criticism on the PML-N leadership and for expecting decision of his choice in the Panama Papers case, which would never fulfill.

The minister was of the view that father of Imran Khan was dismissed by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on the corruption charges and when asked Imran Khan failed to clarify. Abid Sher Ali termed Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) a corrupt mafia adding that the lectures on corruption given by its leadership “do not suit it”.

He said that before talking about corruption, the PPP leadership should present the money trails of Dr Asim Hussain, model girl Ayyan Ali and Sharjeel Memon.

He said that all the corrupt mafia was disappointed with the progress and development of the country and became united against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to destroy his development agenda.

He also asked Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad to present the money trail of his different properties to show how he made all these properties. “If he succeeds in giving the money trail of his different properties, I would tender resignation and transfer my properties to him”, he challenged.

PML-N leader Talal Chaudhry said that the case against the prime minister was political in nature. He said the prime minister had faced cases before. “We don’t care about the sentence, it is enough for us that our prime minister is Sadiq and Amin,” he said.

“Nawaz Sharif’s political opponents cannot defeat him in the political arena and thus have pinned their hopes on the court,” claimed the PML-N MNA. He said it was not important what the decision would be, who got punished and who was saved.

“The case against Nawaz Sharif is of completing the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, defeating terrorism and ending loadshedding in the country,” he added. “This fight is for Pakistan, it is not personal or for their egos,” he claimed.