Panama Papers: Recap of Thursday's hearing

ISLAMABAD: As the Supreme Court reaches conclusion of the landmark Panama Papers case on Friday, the fate of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif hangs in balance. Will the incumbent prime minister be dismissed or will he emerge even stronger? It was also the most asked question in Courtroom No-II during Thursday’s hearing.

The hearing on Thursday proved difficult for Salman Akram Raja, counsel for the premier’s children. The lawyer struggled to convince the judges that Nawaz’s children were not involved in any wrong doing and the allegations levelled against them should be investigated at a proper forum.

Another question being asked was that if Nawaz was disqualified, who would replace him? A senior lawyer asked, what comes next if the premier is disqualified?

The role of Hamza Sharif or Maryam Nawaz could also not be ignored, but Maryam herself is facing serious charges in the case, said the lawyer.

In case the Sharif family faces a corruption trial in the trial courts, then the option for Nawaz and Maryam is to control the party from behind the scenes and appoint a party loyalist to run the government, observed a former judge.

Women politicians, who were witnessing the proceedings, were of the view that the prime minister’s wife might be willing to take a political role again if the family faces a crisis.

After the court returned from recess, more arguments were exchanged between the jurists and the counsel. A lawyer said that Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif might prefer to stay in Punjab to hold the family’s traditional bastion.

Shehbaz’s style of administration has helped PML-N become stronger in Punjab and he might feel that no one else can keep up with his momentum, hence he might not be lured by the seat in Islamabad.

As Salman Akram Raja continued his arguments, lawyers were of the view that if the premier were to be disqualified, a similar case of hiding assets being heard by the same court against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan will be impacted.

Khan is also accused of hiding an offshore company and having controversial properties.

“It would set a bad precedence if politicians continue to stand disqualified under Article 62 and 63, let’s hope the law should take its own roots,” said a senior journalist.