‘Voices heard in SC against Panama ruling’

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, talking to the media outside the accountability court on Wednesday, said the July 28 judgment of the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case had created chaos in the country and that’s the reason the dollar price had reached Rs116. “During my tenure in office for four years, the dollar remained steady,” he added.

Earlier, Nawaz Sharif told reporters inside the courtroom that he had respect for the institutions. “In my view and in the view of the whole nation, the July 28 judgment was not right and issued with the help of Black’s Law Dictionary,” he said.

“Now the Lahore High Court has formed a full bench to hear contempt of court case against me. Even Imran Khan has said that the July 28 judgment was weak and now dissenting voices are being heard even from inside the court,” said the former prime minister.

Referring to the remarks of Justice Qazi Faiz Isa in the Sheikh Rasheed disqualification case, Nawaz said the remarks were not something ordinary. “Justice Isa said the case was regarding Panama and the disqualification was based on the basis of Iqama,” he added.

“I have respect for the institutions and I even participated in the long march for restoration of judiciary. I don’t want to commit contempt but the judges should also think what judgments they are going to give and it is my right to talk about the verdict,” Nawaz stressed.

In response to a suggestion by a reporter that he can file a complaint against the conduct of Supreme Court judges before the Supreme Judicial Council, Nawaz thanked for the idea. Outside the accountability court, Nawaz said many renowned legal experts had criticised the July 28 judgment. “They said it is a weak decision, it is not on merit. If this decision may not be criticised, then what else?” he questioned.

“On July 28, contempt was committed against the vote of the general public and that’s why I raised the slogan to respect the vote,” he said and asked where the voter should go to file complaint.

Nawaz said the decisions like July 28 earned ignominy for the judiciary and added that nothing could be found against him in six months after which two-month extension had been granted. “On the other hand, Imran Khan, who admitted his crime, has been declared Sadiq and Amin. And you see what Sheikh Rasheed did. He has declared his properties worth billions of rupees with a value Rs40 million only. Corruption against Jahangir Tareen had also been proved but neither any reference was filed against him nor a monitoring judge appointed,” he noted. Nawaz said the cases against him were about the property of his forefathers. “This is the only case where there is no corruption at all,” he remarked.