Daily Times

LAHORE: Legal and constitutional experts said on Thursday that the Supreme Court’s decision in Panamagate was not in favour of the Sharifs and the PM has become a lame duck now.

Talking to Daily Times, they added that due to the verdict, the PM’s office has become weaker before the Pakistan Army, especially after a direct representation of Military Intelligence and Inter-Services Intelligence in the joint investigation team for probing the Sharifs.

Constitutional expert Ahmad Raza Kasuri said the decision is factually not in favour of the PM, especially when two judges were fully persuaded to disqualify him and other three were also convinced with the opinion but were not fully agreed about having sufficient proof to do so. That was the reason to form a JIT to collect more evidence to reach a final verdict after two months. He added that it means that Nawaz was put on a “judicial respirator” and become a lame duck.

Senator Aitzaz Ahsan questioned, “How the PM’s subordinates would hold free and fair investigation against his alleged money laundering of billions of rupees?” He added the nation was expecting a spectacular decision. He reiterated that PM should resign morally after the decision.

Former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry said that the PM’s investigation by a JIT would undermine sanctity of parliament.