Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A petition filed by PML-N against alleged concealment of assets by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and senior leader Jehangir Tareen in nomination papers has been fixed for hearing in the Supreme Court.

A three-member bench of the top court headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar will take up the petition on May 3.

The petition filed by Hanif Abbasi alleged that Imran Khan had willfully concealed an offshore company of which he is a beneficial owner at the time of the filing of nomination papers during the last elections. The petition claimed that Khan also intentionally concealed investments made by him in the real estate sector in Islamabad. He claimed that Khan was involved in evasion of taxes as he didn’t declare sources of his income.

The petition contended that Khan acquired money from ‘prohibited sources’ to fund political activities of his party, including mobilisation of party activists to engage in civil disobedience movement as well as destruction of state property.

The PML-N leader claimed that Jehangir Tareen had misguided the ECP and the FBR by concealing details of his offshore company and submission of false declaration of assets of agricultural income while filing tax returns in 2010 and nomination papers in 2013. Abbasi alleged that Tareen fraudulently overstated his agriculture income to the FBR and was thus involved in tax evasion. He said only constitutionally qualified and worthy individuals can hold public offices, especially of high significance and influence such as those held by the respondents. He said controversy involved in his petition was time sensitive as the right to currently hold the membership of NA and qualification/disqualification thereof of the respondents may be frustrated and rendered meaningless once their tenure expires.