Not likely to be summoned again by JIT soon: Hussain Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s son, Hussain Nawaz, said on Friday that no government or court can act on the basis of mere suspicions. 

Hussain Nawaz, following the Joint Investigation Team's session, held a brief press conference.

“Looking at the type of questions asked, I don’t think I will be summoned again by the JIT in near future,” he said.

He said that this was his fifth appearance, adding that he would appear again if summoned, in order to abide by the law.

The PM’s son said that he does not intend to contest the election.

While referring to his brother, Hasan Nawaz, he said that it was his brother’s personal decision not to speak to media following his appearances before the JIT.

He said that he is thankful for the support extended toward him during the appearances before the JIT.

Hussain Nawaz said that he was also thankful to the media personnel for keeping the nation aware of the situation despite the heat and fasting in Ramazan.

Hussain earlier also spoke briefly to journalists after appearing to record his statement with the Panama case JIT, Hussain said investigations should be based on facts and not allegations. 

When asked to comment on who leaked his interrogation picture and why, the prime minister’s son said only those who leaked it know why they did it.  

This is the premier’s elder son’s fifth appearance before the high-profile probe team in less than two weeks.

Strict security measures are in place at the the Federal Judicial Academy, declared as the secretariat of the JIT. 

Addressing the media later, the prime minister’s special secretary Asif Kirmani hit out at the premier’s opponents.

He said Nawaz Sharif wants the inquiry to be completed so the truth can come out, adding that “we are cooperating with the JIT and will continue to do so.”

Kirmani claimed the Sharif family was rigorously investigated during the regime of Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf but no wrong-doing was proved.

He also called for making a JIT against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan. Continuing the verbal assault on PTI, state minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the PTI has started a judicial war against the government, adding that political quarrels should be held on political grounds.

On Thursday, Hussain’s younger brother, Hassan, made his second appearance before the JIT; which questioned him for around five hours.

Accompanying Hassan, Kirmani had lashed out at the ‘character assassination’ of the prime minister’s family while talking to the media.

The JIT is probing the international financial dealings of the Sharif family in light of the April 20 Supreme Court judgment in the Panama case. 

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court special bench overseeing the JIT’s probe had expressed satisfaction with the progress of the investigation after the JIT submitted its mid-term report.

The JIT, formed on May 6, has 60 days to complete its probe and submit its final report to the Supreme Court. 

Controversies

The high-profile probe has been marred by several controversies recently.

A news report published in The News revealed that a person claiming to be the Supreme Court registrar had surreptitiously contacted the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and asked for specific persons to be included in the list of potential JIT members. The prime minister’s son, Hussain, had raised questions of bias against one of the SECP officials who made it to the probe team. However, those objections were not entertained by the court.

Moreover, a picture of Hussain during his first visit to the JIT on May 28 was leaked to the media recently, raising questions on the credibility of the JIT’s work. In the picture, Hussain can be seen inside a room with no other pieces of furniture except for the chair he is sitting on and a table beside it. Opposition parties claimed the government itself leaked the picture to gain sympathy, however the Interior Ministry denied those claims.

The most recent controversy surrounding the JIT stemmed from former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Nehal Hashmi's recent threats against the ‘those investigating the prime minister’s family’.

Senator Hashmi, who was the PML-N’s Sindh general secretary when he made the comments late May, is facing contempt charges in the Supreme Court for ‘threatening the families of judges’ after the court took a suo motu notice of his remarks.

The JIT

The six-member JIT comprises its head, Federal Investigation Agency Additional Director Wajid Zia, Amer Aziz of the State Bank of Pakistan, SECP’s Executive Director Communication Bilal Rasool, Irfan Naeem Mangi of National Accountability Bureau, Brigadier Nauman Saeed of the Inter-Services Intelligence and Brigadier Kamran Khurshid from the Military Intelligence.