Islamabad(Online): Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that every time PTI comes before the court with baseless allegations without any solid proof.
\nTalking to media outside Supreme Court on Tuesday she advised the PTI leadership to withdraw the case as it is completely baseless.Focus was on Maryam Nawaz’s finances and legal status in the Supreme Court today as hearing of the Panamagate case probing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family’s assets resumed.
\nThe apex court asked three questions: How did the premier\u2019s children create their companies? Is Maryam Nawaz dependent on someone? And did the prime minister tell the truth in his three speeches on Panamagate?
\nPakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) counsel Naeem Bokhari began his arguments by exploring Maryam Nawaz’s financial situation. He observed that the premier’s daughter had been gifted Rs50 million and Rs31.7m on two separate occasions by her father.
\nHe also said that Maryam had not paid any utility bills.
\nThe PTI’s lead counsel argued in court that Nawaz Sharif’s tax returns from 2011 showed that Maryam Nawaz was his dependent.
\nChief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Anwar Zaheer Jamali raised a question about the addition of Rs196m in Maryam Nawaz’s wealth which she attributed to a BMW car gifted to her by her father.
\n“How could a second hand car raise that kind of money?” the CJP asked.
\nJustice Asif Saeed remarked that the PTI’s arguments pointed towards the possibility that Maryam Nawaz was a dependent, but did not shed any light on who she may be dependent on.
\nNaeem Bokhari concluded his arguments today. Prime MinistrNawaz Sharif’s council Salman Aslam Butt will present his case tomorrow before giving way to Akram Sheikh, the lawyer representing Nawaz Sharif’s children.
\nDuring today’s hearing, Nawaz Sharif\u2019s children submitted a petition in the apex court requesting daily hearings of the case.
\n“The issue is very critical and institutions are getting affected,” stated the petition, which was submitted through senior counsel Akram Sheikh who is representing Maryam Nawaz, Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz. CJP Jamali said the court was keeping an open mind on the idea of forming a commission on Panamagate and would make one when it felt a need for it.
\nJustice Jamali was responding to Jamaat-i-Islami’s request of creating an inquiry commission with the mandate to investigate the matter.
\nOn Dec 3, JI chief Sirajul Haq had submitted a fresh application with a request to constitute an inquiry commission. He had also requested that the court make a party in the case all the family members, including children, companies and business entities of those whose names had surfaced in the Panama Papers leaks.
\nAs his lawyer was not present in court, Awami Muslim League leader Sheikh Rasheed, with the permission of the court, argued his own case. He observed that it was strange that the creation of the Sharif family’s mills coincided with the completion of a motorway.
\nThe chief justice said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) do not operate effectively. He asked “If these institutions do not want to work, why don\u2019t we shut them down?”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad(Online): Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that every time PTI comes before the court with baseless allegations without any solid proof. Talking to media outside Supreme Court on Tuesday she advised the PTI leadership to withdraw the case as it is completely baseless.Focus was on Maryam Nawaz’s finances and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n