Wait for the verdict to come
he Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which probed the Sharif family’s business dealings has reportedly found glaring disparities between their known sources of income and their actual wealth. It has recommended that the National Accountability Bureau open a reference against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, as well as daughter Maryam Nawaz under Section 9 of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance 19
The JIT was assigned the task of finding the answers to thirteen questions formulated by the Supreme Court. These revolve around one issue i.e. how the family managed to accumulate fabulous wealth when avowedly the entire savings of the elder Mian Sharif stood obliterated and wiped out. The JIT was to probe how and through which resources Mian Sharif established six new factories within 18 months of the nationalisation of Ittefaq Foundries. The apex court wanted to know how the Dubai and Jeddah factories were acquired and where is the entire record of transactions that Nawaz Sharif had claimed still existed. The PML-N knew very well the purpose for which the JIT was set up. The party leadership welcomed it. Its recent stand that JIT is a part of a conspiracy to send Nawaz Sharif home does not therefore hold ground.
The JIT’s report is now the court’s property. Judging from the way it was carried to the chamber number 2, the report seems voluminous and might take the judges weeks to ponder over. The PML-N needs to realise that it is no more living in 1997 when its workers got away with storming the Supreme Court. While it is within its right to comment on the apex court’s verdict after it has been announced it must shun dictating to the court. Supreme Court, says Talal Chaudhry, would either dismiss the Panama Papers case or order filing a reference after submission of the JIT report. “In case the Supreme Court goes for a third option then this will be questioned.” And there is no need to take resort to statements like “What is happening (to Nawaz) today already happened to seven to eight prime ministers in Pakistan,” Statements of the sort seem hollow when they come from the PML-N keeping in view Nawaz Sharif ‘s keenness to seek the removal of Zardari and Gilani in 2012 for “approving” Panamagate. Nawaz Sharif had gone to the court wearing the lawyers’ black coat to show his earnestness. Later when Gilani was convicted of contempt of court Nawaz demanded that Gilani resign immediately without causing further crisis. With this track record, what does the PML-N expect from the opposition?