LAHORE – The Lahore High Court today sought reply from 64 respondents including Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Aitzaz Ahsan, Ch. Shujjat Hussain and Ch. Pervez Elahi, Asma Jahangir, Hussain Nawaz and others as well as the federal government in an application seeking details about their foreign assets.

Barrister Syed Javed Iqbal Jafree has filed the civil miscellaneous application in the court submitting that the politicians have shifted billions of rupees abroad and they do not speak truth about it. Mr. Jafree has also prayed that he wants to transfer £ 200,000 to London to buy a room there for his research work.

Justice Khalid Mahmood Khan of the LHC held the proceeding and directed the federal government to submit reply about the matter of transfer of money to UK with the direction to provide the copies of written reply to the petitioner two days before the next date of hearing fixed for Nov 3.

During the course of hearing, Barrister Jafree said that he wanted to buy a room in London as he often goes there for research work and is forced to pay £ 400 per day for a single room. He submitted that he cannot afford room on rent in London. A room in London can be bought against £ 300,000 to £ 400,000.

 He requests the court to order the government to allow him to transfer £ 200,000 to UK, so that he could buy a room. In his plea, the petitioner has also alleged that the politicians mentioned above have transferred billions of rupees abroad but they do not show how much assets they have shifted which is a violation. He contended that the present government is borrowing € 500 million at the rate of 8.5 percent which, the lawyer says, means that they will return 1100 million after 10 years period.

He questioned as to why government is borrowing such huge amount and against the huge interest rate rather than borrowing it against the rate of 1.5 percent, which is a practice prevalent in other countries. He alleged that the respondent politicians do not want to share details of their assets and always lie. He requested the court that the respondents must be tested through polygraph machine to determine whether they lie or not.

At this, the judge observed that the case is lying pending for last many years; he directed deputy attorney general present in the court not to delay the matter.

It is pertinent to mention here that the main case of Mr. Jafree was filed about 23 years ago against the money laundering by politicians. The application and the main case both will be taken up by Nov 3.