ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after a detailed brainstorming session with his political and legal aides on the conduct of the joint investigation team (JIT) probing the Panama Papers case, has decided to challenge the findings of the probe body in both legal and political arenas.
A consultative meeting of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) held under the chair of the prime minister discussed the legal and political implications of the JIT, which would likely be submitting its findings to the apex court on July 10th.
Federal Minister for Law Zahid Hamid briefed the participants on the possible findings of the JIT and the legal position the party could take especially if the findings would come against the prime minister and his family members.
Sources in the party informed The Nation that in case of some negative report against the prime minister the legal team of the prime minister would challenge it and could even pray for constitution of a larger bench to hear their concerns and objections on the conduct of the JIT.
The party would try to drag the matter in a legal battle and would not only point out the flaws and lacunae in the report but would also challenge the very basis of the constitution of the JIT, which some of the legal experts saw as contrary to the prevalent legal system.
On the political front it was decided that the party would take the matter to the people’s court and would exhibit street power to keep popular support intact.
In this connection, the party had already started work and the party leaders had already started questioning the conduct of the JIT and its biased treatment of the prime minister and his family members.
Sources further informed The Nation that in case the JIT would come up with some negative findings and recommendations against the Sharif family they would challenge it in the court, while a political campaign would also be launched and in this connection the party would hold large public gatherings in the length and breadth of the country to show their popular support.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and almost all the frontline leaders of the party had started grilling the JIT and have started equating it proceedings to an attempt to derailing the political dispensation and creating hurdles in the way of economic progress.
The prime minister in his address on Friday said that when the JIT would be filing its report to the apex court he would be inaugurating Dhasu Dam project, which would help ease the power demand in the country.
The meeting, which was also attended by Federal Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, the negative fallout of the investigations against the prime minister on country’s economy also came under discussion.
The meeting reviewed the sharp dip in the stock exchange and overall economic slowdown.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also briefed the meeting on sudden decline in the value of rupee against the dollar.
Abrar Saeed