Panama Leaks case: Inside the courtroom

ISLAMABAD: Will Salman Aslam Butt and Akram Sheikh live up to Sharif's expectations? This is a million dollars question many were asking in Courtroom Room 1 on Tuesday.

Fifty-fifty--this is my answer,” a leader of PTI sitting next to Imran Khan responded. “It’s like do or die for us and we will spring up with a trump card. We have answers for all the questions,” a confident Salman Butt told this correspondent.

Three key questions have been put before the respondents in Panama Leaks case. PTI lead counsel Naeem Bukhari presented his argument for five hours. “I’ve done my job-- the burden of proof has been shifted to the respondents,” Mr Bukhari happily whispered into my ears. “Honestly our purpose has been served in this case,” he said.

“How do Sharifs’ counsels respond to these questions? One will find answer of this question today (Wednesday), perhaps a decisive day in this case. All eyes are on Mr Butt and Mr Sheikh. Will a judicial commission be formed in this case, a senior lawyer asked a colleague?”

“Yes. The case is going toward this direction,” he whispered. Tuesday’s hearing witnessed that the worthy judges were in no mood of buying meandering arguments from both parties lawyers in this case.

Perhaps, Mr Bukhari could not conclude his arguments the way he did last time-- putting tough questions and living up to the expectations of PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the previous hearing. Sitting with JI Amir Sirajul Haq, Jehangir Tareen looked serious during the course of the entire proceeding on Tuesday.

The day started with usual enthusiasm and Mr Bukhari resumed his arguments but by and large he repeated questions he put before judges on November 30. In his 63 minutes-long-arguments, Bukhari tried to convince the apex court to buy the stance of his client but the judges called a spade a spade and said that the law shall take its course.

It happened for the first time since the Panama Leaks hearing began, when both parties’ legal teams struggled to put solid arguments before the judges in favour of their clients. Both parties, however, could not completely satisfy the bench.

PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami and Awami Muslim League played their innings-- but not too well. Yes, Sharifs counsels still have enough time and enough arguments to win this race, commented Zafarullah Khan, Premier Sharif’s close aide.

For the first time PTI’s entire top leadership Imran Khan, Jehangir Tareen, Shah Mehmood Qureshi was seen standing for almost three hours in-front of the rostrum, whispering time and again into each other’s ears.

PML-N senior leaders Maryam Aurangzaib, Danial Aziz, Talal Chaudhry, Tariq Fazl Chaudhry kept murmuring but stuck to their chairs except Abid Sher Ali who witnessed the whole proceedings standing right next to his party’s legal team.

Then a moment came when an SC lawyer stunned everyone in the courtroom complaining there is no chair for him to sit on. An angry Chief Justice interrupted and said, “Please. Stop disturbing us.”

Maryam Nawaz Sharif's BMW came under discussion- a topic which amused many, even the judges. It was stated that her BMW earned tens of millions in profit in a year, "My lords it was a gift from UAE, gifts always remain a productive reality,” Bukhari remarked.

While MNAs Dr Shireen Mazari, Shafqat Mahmood of PTI and State Minister Maryam Aurangzaib and Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali looked serious.

Naeem Bukhari thanked judges for hearing his arguments. He even joked about his age, but the worthy judges did not take him seriously.

Then it was Sheikh Rashid who put his arguments before the court but by and large it was like a press conference on a rostrum. While he kept amusing lawyers, journalists, judges, politicians and staff of the SC with his political remarks, many visitors were focusing on hundreds of books in-front of judges. One of ushers kept reading the book of Constitution of Pakistan while guys from the Special Branch stared at the journalists who complained about the bad sound system specially installed for them.

Once again a heated moment came when Salman Butt took the stage. “The man in focus is up now,” whispered Fawad Chaudhry of PTI into ears of this correspondent. The question of Maryam Nawaz’s dependency on her father came under discussion.

“It is a serious question, we want to know it,” Imran Khan told journalists during a tea break in the courtroom.

“She is not a dependent. This is our stance and yes we are proving it,” Salman Butt argued. Seriousness again prevailed and Mr Butt tried his best to prove his stance until the court asked him to resume his arguments again today.