ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned hearing of identical petition filed by PTI and other parties for constitution of Judicial Commission to investigate the alleged involvement of Prime Minister and his family members in the Panama Leaks scandal till Nov 3.
A larger bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali also directed all the parties to submit their written replies regarding the constitution of Judicial Commission.
The SC further also the parties to submit their Terms of Reference (ToRs) on the formation of a commission to probe the Panama Papers leaks. The court said that if the parties did not agree on concensus ToRs, the it would draft it own ToRs.
“The commission will report to the Supreme Court,” the court said, adjourning the hearing to November 3. It said that the commission will hold powers equal to the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali said that they had to save the country from unrest and crises, adding that the Panama Papers issue has affected the entire country.
Justice Asif Saeed Khosa added that the apex court was the supreme forum to resolve conflicts. He remarked that the court would not prolong the matter.
The larger bench comprising Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Amir Hani Muslim, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Hassan heard the case just a day ahead of Islamabad’s ‘lockdown’ announced by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
Eelier, the court had directed both the government and PTI to submit replies after consulting with their respective leaderships on the formation of a commission and suspended the hearing for two hours. It had said the court will decide who will chair the commission and who its members will be.
The petitions o Panama leaks were first filed by Advocate Tariq Asad, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq, PTI chief Imran Khan and Awami Muslim League (AML) head Sheikh Rashid Ahmed asking for the appointment of a judicial commission to investigate the investment made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and members of his family in an offshore investment company called Mossack Fonseca.
When the court resumed hearing of the case after the break, all the parties submitted written replies on the formation of judicial commission. The counsel of Sharif family told the court that Prime Minister would accept the Judicial Commission and if they allegations against him were proved the he would accept the legal consequences. The counsel told the court that the Prime Minister agreed to the proposed investigation regarding the London’s properties and formation of Judicial Commission to investigate offshore companies.
