Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI’s) legal team to come up with solid evidence to establish the direct link between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and flats in London.

The documents, which the PTI presented as evidence, started emerging as hearsay and not to the point, as the PTI’s legal team headed by Hamid Khan again failed to prove the trail of money used to buy expensive London properties before a five-judge larger bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali in the Panamagate case.

The bench made it clear to the PTI’s legal team that such type of arguments would not be a substitute for proof.

The hearing of the Panamagate case commenced with the arguments of PTI’s Hamid Khan, who, for more than two consecutive hours, read the prime minister’s speeches that were delivered on television and in the National Assembly. He pointed out the contradictions in statements of the premier.
However, Chief Justice Jamali asked if the court, merely on the basis of those contradictory statements of the prime minister, could hold that the London flats were purchased through black money.
Despite many attempts by the bench to backtrack the matter, the PTI’s counsel continued to narrate the premier’s speeches.

“Basically you have to come up with solid proof and the burden will shift on them to proof this fact. Because once this trial takes the nature of a criminal trial then every benefit of doubt will go to the accused,” the chief justice observed.

Justice Shaikh Azmat Saeed, a member of the bench, expressed disappointment and observed that the PTI’s counsel was doing politics.

“At least it is understood that we, the judges, are working hard, more than the counsel for the petitioner (PTI), to examine the allegations,” observed Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, another member of the bench, while pointing out the evidence.

The court observed that it would confine Panamagate case hearing to the acquisition of foreign properties by the Sharif family, and not scrutinise the premier’s entire life. “We are not going to open the entire life of the PM to scrutinise it, as this issue is not before us,” Justice Asif Saeed Khosa remarked.

“At least speaking for myself, this thing is not that much simple… that we can straight away, on the basis of your argument, come to a definite conclusion. [and] pass some order unless there is a detailed inquiry,” the chief justice observed. The case has been adjourned until November 29.