The Supreme Court of Pakistan held proceedings of the Panama Papers case following the submission of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report on Monday.
The special three-member implementation bench began proceedings of the high-profile case a little after 9:30am.
Counsels for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid presented their arguments during Monday’s proceedings.
PTI counsel Naeem Bukhari pleaded with the apex court to summon Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for cross examination, disqualify him from Parliament and send cases against him and his family to an accountability court.
The counsel for JI argued that the premier did not speak the truth during his speech in Parliament.
Sheikh Rashid, presenting his arguments, said the nation was embarrassed to find out its prime minister is a paid employer of another company.
During proceedings, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, who heads the bench, wondered if the JIT can trust the veracity of the documents while Justice Ijazul Ahsan asked the JI counsel to inform the bench to what extent could it implement the JIT’s findings and use its authority.
Prior to the start of the proceedings, the Sharif family and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar submitted their responses on the JIT report and objected to the mode of the investigation.
They rejected the JIT report and stated that the investigators worked beyond their original mandate.
The hearing of the case was later adjourned till tomorrow (July 18), when the respondents will be heard.
