ECP powers to hear Panama Leaks petitions against Prime Minister challenged

ISLAMABAD: A lawyer representing prime minister Nawaz Sharif challenged the Election Commission of Pakistan’s powers to hear petitions regarding Panama Leaks.

During the hearing a dispute broke out between lawyers present inside the courtroom.

The Prime Minister’s lawyer Salman Butt asked the election commission to hear out his grievances.

To this Latif Khosa, a lawyer representing the Pakistan People’s Party said that the defense wanted to dictate its orders to the Election Commissioner.

The Chief Election Commissioner said that first a decision will be made over the powers of the ECP. “The decision will be made here, and not in any rallies or public meetings,” he said.

The hearing over petitions filed by the PPP and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has been adjourned till October 10.

The Pakistan People’s Party has filed a 1000-page reference to the Election Commission of Pakistan, calling for the disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The party maintains that Nawaz Sharif had defaulted Rs6 billion when he filed his nomination papers in the ECP in 2013.

The PTI filed a 72-page reference in the ECP calling for the disqualification of the prime minister for hiding his assets.

Prime Minister Nawaz has been under pressure since documents released as part of the Panama Papers data leak showed his children owned several off-shore companies and used them to buy properties in London.

He denies wrongdoing, as do his children.

Leaked confidential documents spanning over nearly 40 years that spell out the extensive use of tax havens by politicians, world leaders, and celebrities to launder money and evade taxes through one of the most secretive companies the Panamaian law firm Mossack Fonseca, had taken the world by storm.

Many Pakistanis have also been named in their revelations.