Islamabad (October 12, 2017): The three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Justice Saqib Nisar adjourned the hearing of the petition seeking declaring Secretary General of PTI Jehangir Tareen till October 17.
Continuing his arguments today Tareen’s counsel Sikander Bashir Mehmand argued that his client disclosed his total income including the agri income to the Federal Board of Revenue. He also argued that agricultural lands given on lease are not subjected to tax.
Chief Justice Saqib Nisar remarked that Tareen did not disclose his full income from agriculture to the Election Commission and that Mehmand has not been able to satisfy the court over agri lands not being subjected to tax.
Mehmand rebutted that his client did not hide anything in his nomination papers. He also informed the court that tax is not being levied on the contractor leased lands because the issue pertaining to tax of leased lands is pending hearing at the relevant forum.
Justice Faisal Arab remarked that the relevant forum that Mehmand referred to is about the federal laws while tax on agriculture is a provincial issue.
Continuing his argument Mehmand told the court that Punjab Agricultural Authority has not issued any notice over this and that his client disclosed his overall income including the agri income to the FBR. Over this Chief Justice said that earnings the revenue from the leased land is considered agri income. The court is not is giving its final opinion but it is trying to understand the relavant laws, he added.
When Mehmand argued that agri income laws in Sindh are unambiguous but confusion over them persists in Punjab the chief justice told him that Tareen has not disclosed his full agri income to the Election Commission and he too has failed to failed to satisfy the court that leased lands are not subjected to agri come.
On this the counsel of petitioner Hanif Abbasi Akram Shaikh argued that Tareen’s mala fide stands proved already.
Akram Shaikh further argued that the leased contracts of Tareen’s lands are not registered while money was laundered through the leased contracts.
The court adjourned the hearing till October 17 after taking assurance from Mehmand that he would complete his arguments at the earliest.
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