Panamagate: D-day for Nawaz Sharif as Pakistan SC set to hear parties’ reply over JIT report

Team Udayavani, Jul 17, 2017, 11:00 AM IST

Islamabad : The Pakistan Supreme Court (SC) will on Monday hear responses of all the parties on the Panamagate joint investigation team’s (JIT) report. All eyes are fixed on the apex court as the future course of the case is likely to be determined today. The bench is expected to begin proceedings at 9:30 am.

The JIT was formed after the apex court’s April 20 judgement to probe Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family’s money trail.  The probing panel submitted its 60-day investigation report to the court on July 10, in which it pointed out categorical foul play on part of the Prime Minister, his children and other family members in their wealth details linked to offshore companies unearthed in Panama Papers.

The report found respondents guilty of being beneficial owners of multiple offshore companies and recommended initiation of reference against Sharif and his family members in the National Accountability Bureau. Following the report’s submission, the special bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and comprising of Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, issued notices to the parties to submit their responses.

Meanwhile, after the JIT report became public, the opposition parties have been demanding Sharif’s resignation. Geo News, citing sources, said that the ruling family has prepared its response which reportedly raises objections to repeated addition of several documents in the JIT report. It also objects to the “discriminatory behaviour of the probe team and use of derogatory words about some witnesses”.