Pak SC to form panel to probe Panama Papers
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI : Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would form a commission to investigate revelations in the Panama Papers leaks that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family owned offshore assets worth millions of dollars.
The court’s decision came a day ahead of opposition leader Imran Khan’s planned “lockdown” of the national capital to pressure Sharif to step down or order a probe into the Panama Papers issue.
The Supreme Court asked Sharif’s PML-N party and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to submit their terms of reference for the commission. Both parties also agreed to the formation of the panel.
Khan announced after the court’s decision that his protest would be postponed. He instead called on his supporters to join a “thanksgiving” rally at Islamabad’s Parade Ground on Wednesday. “I thank all those who fought this 20-year-long war against corruption with me,” he told the media. He also accused Sharif of “hurting Pakistan’s development through corruption”.
A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court adjourned the hearing of five petitions seeking a probe into the Panama Papers leaks till Wednesday. The proposed commission will report to the court, which will also choose its members and chairman.
Media reports quoted Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali as saying both the PML-N and PTI should “show restraint”.
“We have to save the country from unrest and crises,” Jamali said, adding the Panama Papers leaks had affected the entire country. The court said it would resolve the issue and all parties would be given an opportunity to present their views.
Khan’s planned lockdown of Islamabad and clashes between PTI supporters and law enforcement personnel over the past few days had sparked fears of a confrontation between the government and the opposition party. Some observers had suggested that the powerful army could intervene in the event of a breakdown of law and order.