- Bar’s president believes SC’s Panama judgement ‘unanimous’
The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA), in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Panama Papers case, on Saturday gave an ultimatum to Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to resign within a week, or face a lawyers’ movement bigger than the one that of 2007.
The demand comes days after the Panama Papers case verdict was announced, directing that a joint investigation team (JIT) be instituted to investigate the prime minister and his sons for alleged corruption. However, main opposition parties have expressed reservations on the integrity of a probe against the prime minister carried out by officials that the PM himself has appointed.
Addressing a press conference, LHCBA President Zulfiqar Chaudhry, Secretary Amir Saeed Raan and others presented their demand for the resignation of the prime minister. They said that if the prime minister does not relinquish his post within a week, they would launch a movement what they said bigger than the lawyers’ movement for the restoration of the deposed judges.
“Everyone must understand that the Supreme Court judgement on the Panama case is unanimous,” the LHCBA president said. Throughout the world, public office-holders implicated in the scandal have relinquished their posts, but the prime minister was adamant to stay in power, he said.
He also emphasised that the bar association’s demand for the prime minister’s resignation was ‘legitimate and fair.’ How officers can conduct a fair investigation into the alleged corruption against the sitting prime minister, he questioned.
Bar’s vice president Rashid Lodhi said that this was the first time such a high-profile case of corruption went up to the Supreme Court and some pertinent questions were raised by the court regarding the money-trail. “These questions cannot be put ignored,” he said. He said that the apex court has rejected the prime minister’s claims, and for that reason, he (PM) has lost the moral authority to stay in power.
The court verdict has indicted the prime minister, said Amir Raan. Two of the five judges have made it clear that the prime minister is not ‘Sadiq’ and ‘Ameen,’ he said, adding that the prime minister should have the courage to resign, instead of letting his own appointees investigate him for his alleged corruption. To a question, they said that their demand must not be seen as to be politically motivated.