Panama verdict: PM disqualified
By Abdul Qayyum Siddiqui Friday Jul 28, 2017
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered on Friday to disqualify Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Announcing their verdict in the Panama Papers case, all five judges ruled to register a case against the premier and ordered sending a reference against the premier and his family to an accountability court.
The court also ordered the National Accountability Bureau to file the reference in an accountability court in six weeks and for the case to be wrapped up within six months.
The reference will also be filed against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and MNA Capt (retd) Safdar, the premier's son-in-law.
The verdict was announced by the original five-member bench that heard the landmark case from January this year.
The bench comprises Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, and Justice Ijazul Ahsan.
The verdict was read out by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan.
The landmark verdict is being announced in Courtroom 1 of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed and Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq — the petitioners in the case — are present in the court.
Moreover, members of the federal government, as well as other opposition parties, also plan to be present in court.
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Strict security measures are in place in the capital's Red Zone — where the Supreme Court is situated — with around 3,000 personnel of the Frontier Constabulary, Islamabad Police, and Punjab Rangers deployed for the purpose.
The first 'judgment'
Hearing the Panama Papers case since January year, the five-judge Supreme Court bench delivered its much-anticipated order in the case on April 20.
In a 3-2 split decision, the majority judges determined that the available evidence was insufficient to disqualify the prime minister outright and directed for the formation of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate the case and collect evidence, if any, showing that "Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif or any of his dependents or benamidar owns, possesses or acquired assets or any interest therein disproportionate to their known means of income".
The apex court also observed that after the JIT's final report is presented, "the matter of disqualification [of Nawaz Sharif] shall be considered".
The JIT report and its aftermath
The JIT, formed in light of the apex court’s April 20 judgment to probe the Sharif family’s money trail, submitted its 60-day investigation report to the court on July 10.
The report highlighted the failure of the Sharif family to provide a money trail for its London apartments and claimed the prime minister and his children own assets beyond their known sources of income.
Following the report's submission, the special bench — headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and comprising Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed — issued notices to the parties to submit their responses.
The special implementation bench reserved its decision on July 21 after hearing arguments over the JIT report from both sides.
In his remarks at the last hearing, Justice Ejaz stated that the bench was already reviewing the matter of the prime minister’s disqualification, while Justice Ijaz remarked that the court would not back down from its decision.
The petitioners include Imran Khan, Sheikh Rasheed, and Sirajul Haq, while the respondents are the prime minister, members of his family, as well as several government-related officials and departments.
Party workers reach court
Supporters of PTI and PML-N amassed in front of the Supreme Court ahead of the verdict. Workers of both parties began chanting slogans agianst each other's leadership.
'All eyes on Supreme Court’
PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said all eyes are on the Supreme Court. “Every Pakistani is watchiing with anticipation what the future of democracy will be in the country.”
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