Reply in foreign assets case sought

LAHORE
The Lahore High Court Justice Khalid Mahmood Khan on Tuesday directed the federal government to submit its reply on a petition challenging alleged foreign assets maintained by 64 known personalities of Pakistan, including incumbent and former rulers and their families, advocates, two ex-chief justices, and a property tycoon.
The court has adjourned the hearing of the petition filed by Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafree when a deputy attorney general appeared and sought more time to file reply on behalf of the government.
The judge allowed the request and directed the law officer to ensure submission of the reply on next hearing, Nov 17. Justice Khan also observed that to take action against the money launderers was the job of the government.
Barrister Jafree stated in his petition that the respondents/individuals transferred at least 400 billion US dollars to foreign countries through money laundering. He said by doing this the politicians caused a huge loss to national exchequer. He said these politicians had not yet submitted to the court their affidavits about the money laundering despite repeated court orders. He pleaded that Pakistan would have no need to obtain foreign loans if assets of the politicians were brought back to return the international loan of the country. He asked the court to issue directions to these politicians to bring back their assets to the Pakistan.
The respondents include incumbent Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his wife Kulsoom Nawaz, son Hussain Nawaz, and brother Shahbaz Sharif (Punjab Chief Minister), PTI chief Imran Khan and his former wife Jemima Goldsmith, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and his wife, former president Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Faryal Talpur, former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf, interior minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan, former interior minister Rehman Malik, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Ali Khan, Pervaiz Elahi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Malik Riaz Hussain of Bahria Town, former Chief Justices of LHC Khwaja Muhammad Sharif and Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry, former presidents of SCBA Hamid Khan, Asma Jahangir, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan and his wife Bushra Aitzaz.