ISLAMABAD: As members of the Panama case Joint Investigation Team (JIT) huddled inside the Federal Judicial Academy on Tuesday morning, a different kind of activity was taking place outside.
The area outside the academy — declared the secretariat of the high-profile probe team — is undergoing a makeover in light of the prime minister’s visit on Thursday.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been summoned on June 15 by the JIT, which is probing the premier’s family’s global financial dealings in light of the April 20 Supreme Court judgment.
In light of the hyped appearance, the erstwhile neglected academy in the capital’s Sector H-8/4 has seen a flurry of activity by workers of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) since Tuesday morning.
A group of gardeners was busy tending to the roadside plants and mowing the hedges on the road leading to the academy. Weeds on the side of the road were also rooted out by workers.
Moreover, teams of cleaners were removing garbage and other items from the roadside and nearby greenbelts, loading them onto trucks and dumping them away from the academy.
Meanwhile, road construction teams were paving the road outside and potholes so the premier enjoys a smooth ride into the academy.
It is unclear whether the CDA had planned the work in its recently proposed Rs37.9 billion deficit budget.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Hanif Abbasi and Rawalpindi Mayor Sardar Nasim also visited the site on Tuesday to ‘supervise’ the ‘arrangements’ for the prime minister’s (PM) appearance.
Abbasi said he’s here to check the arrangements for the PM’s visit, adding that the party workers will assemble at the academy on Thursday to welcome their leader.
The PM is expected to arrive at the JIT secretariat at around 11am on Thursday. Till now, his elder son, Hussain, has appeared before the JIT five times while his younger son, Hassan, has done so twice. At all these times, party workers and leaders are at the venue to welcome the premier’s sons.
