Daily Times

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Shahid Waheed on Wednesday allowed the petitioner’s request to place details of four Mayfair flats allegedly owned by Maryam Nawaz Sharif, daughter of the prime minister, on record of the pending petitions filed in the wake of Panama leaks.

The judge issued the direction while hearing petitions requesting to initiate proceedings against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his alleged involvement in establishing offshore companies and concealing facts from the public. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawyer Gohar Nawaz Sindhu had moved this application in his already pending constitutional petition seeking inquiry into Panama leaks.

Sindhu said that the PM’s daughter established two offshore companies and purchased flats in Mayfair area of London. He submitted that the ownership record of Flat numbers 16, 16-A, 17 and 17-A were in the name of Maryam Nawaz. He sought permission to place the details of the Maryam’s flats on the record and the judge allowed it. The judge postponed further hearing on the issue for two weeks.

Earlier, the petitioner requested to initiate proceedings against the PM for his alleged involvement in establishing offshore companies. The petitioner made PM Nawaz Sharif, his two sons Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz, daughter Maryam Nawaz, former interior minister Rehman Malik, the Election Commission of Pakistan, National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) as respondents in his petition.

The petitioner’s counsel submitted that top politicians were involved in transferring public money out of Pakistan and establishing offshore companies, adding that public money not shifted abroad through any legal means. He asserted that these politicians concealed facts from the public and also did not disclose it while filing their nomination papers for parliament. He said that after admission of Hussain Nawaz about existence of his family’s companies outside Pakistan, PM should be declared as disqualified to hold top democratic office.

He requested to order NAB hold inquiry of the Panama matter and fix responsibility. He also requested to declare PM Sharif and other politicians as disqualified. He further requested that ECP be directed to start inquiry against Nawaz Sharif for concealing facts from the public while submitting nomination papers. He prayed that sons and daughter of PM should also be barred from contesting elections.