What am I accused of, Hasan Nawaz questions JIT after third appearance

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s son Hasan Nawaz questioned the charges under which he and his siblings are being repeatedly summoned by the Panama case Joint Investigation Team (JIT).

Speaking to the media after his third appearance before the JIT which is investigating the Sharif family's assets, Hasan said he has answered all the JIT's questions regarding the companies and assets he owns in Britain and handed over all the relevant documents as well.

“[But] I asked them [JIT] that you’re asking me all these things, at least tell me what I am accused of,” he shared.

"All the companies I own are registered with regulatory and tax authorities in Britain," he explained.

He complained that the Sharif family members are being served summons by the JIT as if it is a Jumma Bazaar [loot sale] of summons. Unlike in the rest of the world where charges are brought forward first and then the investigation follows, here they are desperately looking to attribute a charge, he claimed. 

Hasan said the prime minister has ordered him to appear before the JIT and comply without hesitation whenever he is called but it is his right to ask what he is being accused of. 

"Nawaz Sharif's children are being used to put pressure on him," he alleged, adding that the JIT is trying hard to find any tangible evidence against them.  

When asked if he has been summoned again, Hasan replied in the negative.

Hasan arrived at the Federal Judicial Academy at around 11am. He was accompanied by the Prime Minister's Political Secretary Asif Kirmani.

A number of workers and local leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz were also present at the venue to 'receive' the premier's son.

This was the premier's younger son's third appearance before the Panama case JIT. He was earlier summoned on June 2 and June 8 but did not address the media on both occasions. 

Kirmani calls for recording of Qatari prince's statement 

Addressing the media after Hasan went inside the academy, Kirmani said the JIT report into the Sharif family's businesses, due on July 10, cannot be completed without recording the statement of Qatari prince Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabar Al-Thani.

Talking about the Qatari prince, whose letter came to the aid of the Sharif family during the Panama Papers case hearing by the Supreme Court earlier this year, Kirmani said the royal family member has repeatedly requested the JIT to record his statement but they have not done so. 

He also referred to a report in The News today in this regard. 

"The JIT report will be incomplete till the Qatari prince's letter has been made part of the record," he claimed. 

As per the JIT's statements in the Supreme Court, the Qatari prince had refused to come to Pakistan to record his statement citing security concerns. He later opted to record his statement with the JIT if it travels to Qatar to do so. 

"The JIT has taken a u-turn from the real issues....their original mandate. They were supposed to acquire details on the London apartments, for which the Qatari letter is adequate," added Kirmani. If this is not carried out, PML-N workers across the country will have reservations over the JIT's report, he said further. 

He claimed that after the JIT did not find anything on the London properties, investigators are now probing the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case which has been quashed by the Lahore High Court. 

Kirmani lashed out at certain 'elements' in the media who 'attack' the ruling family every day on TV.

Kirmani also questioned the summoning of premier’s cousin Tariq Shafi, who appeared before the JIT for the second time on Sunday.

Addressing the PML-N workers and the public at large, he said "your leader is ‘sadiq’", and warned Imran Khan that we’ve seen your ‘calls’ before in the long march [of 2009].

When asked why they did not object to the JIT when it was formed, he said "we had reservations on two JIT members but they were dismissed by the Supreme Court". 

Replying to a question, he said "I have not threatened the JIT, but am just relaying the feelings of PML-N workers and people of the country".

Kirmani reiterated that the statement of the Qatari prince has to be recorded to ascertain the money trail of the Sharif family's Parklane properties in London. 

Earlier, during his address, Kirmani questioned why a legal firm was hired for an exorbitant amount by the JIT to obtain documents related to the Sharif family's business when they could have acquired the same from the Supreme Court.

"This is the people's money. The public wants to know who the JIT obliged by getting the legal firm on board," he said.

As with his previous two appearances, this time around too Hasan has travelled from London to appear before the JIT, he said while starting his address.

A family affair 

The JIT has also summoned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz on July 5 and his elder son Hussain Nawaz on July 4.

The summons, dated June 25, 2017, has also asked the respondent to bring forth relevant documents related to the Sharif family's financial assets.

On Sunday, the premier's cousin, Tariq Shafi, appeared before the JIT where he was questioned for around three hours. This was Shafi's second appearance in front of the high-profile probe team. 

Previously, the premier appeared before the JIT on June 15, while his brother Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif did so on June 17 and his son-in-law Capt (retd) Safdar on June 24. 

The JIT, formed on May 5 in light of the Supreme Court's April 20 judgment in the Panama Papers case, was given 60 days to complete its probe.

However, since the original deadline was falling on a Friday, and with the JIT taking a day off on Eid, July 10 has been decided as the deadline for the JIT to submit its final report to the court's special implementation bench. 

July 10 — D-Day?

Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair, an outspoken defendant of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz federal government before his new assignment, said on Sunday that once the JIT submits its report, the apex court will take its time in perusing it. 

He said the examining of the report could take weeks or months. 

In its April 20 judgment, the five-member Panama case bench had stated that after receiving the JIT's final report, 'the bench may pass appropriate orders in exercise of its powers under Articles 184(3), 187(2) and 190 of the Constitution, including an order for filing a reference against the prime minister and any other person having nexus with the crime if justified on the basis [ of the JIT report]'.