Imran slams government for hiding PM’s corruption

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Thursday said that for the last eight months the government has only been striving to hide the corruption of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Speaking to media here, Khan slammed ministers for repeatedly saying that the PTI has not given evidences of alleged corruption by the Sharif family in the Supreme Court.

He noted that in a democratic system, the opposition is not supposed to provide evidences; it is only supposed to identify corruption. "It is the duty of the institutions to investigate and collect evidences."

"Our case is that Nawaz Sharif laundered black money out of country and invested in the name of his children," the PTI chief said. "Offshore shell firms were established to safeguard this money."

Imran Khan said his party's arguments in the Panama Leaks case will be finalised by Monday and then they would listen to the response of Sharif family.

He also lauded the apex court for hearing the case on daily basis.

The skipper said that he has to hold a presser to respond to the propaganda being done by ministers.

Earlier on Thursday, a five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court led by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa resumed hearing of the Panama Leaks case.

The prime minister's lawyer Makhdoom Ali submitted his reply which included details of the prime minister's public office tenure.

The reply states that the prime minister was provincial finance minister from 1981 to 1985, after which he occupied the office of Cheif Minister Punjab till 1988. During the period of April-May 1988 he was acting chief minister. Till 1990 he was CM Punjab again. He went on to become prime minister till 1993 for the first time, and then from 1997 till 1999 he was prime minister for the second time. From 1993 till 1996 he was opposition leader. He was exiled in 2000, and his exile ended in 2007.

Copies of the reply were handed over to PTI attorneys.

Justice Asif Saeed Khosa remarked, that Nawaz Sharif had said that his leftover factories were shut down by Pervez Musharraf.

"How did he erect the Jeddah factories in exile then? Sharif family's financial adviser had promised to produce evidence in court. But now you are saying there is no evidence."

The hearing has been adjourned till January 6 (tomorrow).