Daily Times

LAHORE: Sirajul Haq has said that the government was wasting the Supreme Court’s time by adopting delaying tactics in regard to the Panama leaks probe. Talking to the media outside the Supreme Court after the hearing of the case on Thursday, he said the government would have to face the facts and reveal how the money had been transferred outside the country and why NAB, FIA, etc., had not taken action against them. Sirajul Haq said the Supreme Court had called for a reply from the prime minister’s children within three days and he believed that the whole matter could be decided within 25 days. He said the masses could not wait for an indefinite period, and JI had already submitted its ToRs to the apex court.

He said things were moving in the direction desired by the JI, which had demanded that the judicial commission should be headed by a serving judge of the Supreme Court and have full authority. All state institutions should be under it. The hearing of the case should be open and the Commission’s report should be submitted to the Supreme Court instead of being thrown into the almirahs of the government

He said that an issue to be decided was that even if the offshore companies were lawful, it remained to be seen how and in what manner the country’s money was being invested in them. JI’s Ameer said that some families had assumed the role of the East India Company, and added that whoever did not have a clean record should not be allowed to enter the echelons of power.

Siraj criticised the Election Commission for suspending the hearing of the petitions seeking the disqualification of the prime minister in view of the Supreme Court taking up the Panama leaks issue. He said the Election Commission had also shifted its burden to the Supreme Court. He said the country required a fully independent and autonomous Election Commission.