imageISLAMABAD: A larger bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan led by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa resumed hearing of the Panama Papers case on Friday against the family members of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The five-member bench of the apex court is hearing the case on daily basis. Other bench members are Justice Ejaz Afzal, Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan.

The counsel of the Prime Minister Makhdoom Ali Khan concluded his arguments yesterday and the counsel of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) counsel Taufiq Asif started arguing case when the hearing resumed this morning saying that prime minister has failed to honour the trust that his oath demands.

The JI has filed a petition in the court seeking Prime Minister Sharif's personal appearance in the apex court to clarify the controversy over his family's alleged offshore assets.

In today's hearing, JI counsel Taufiq Asif gave his arguments on the National Assembly speech of Prime Minister Sharif regarding his children's businesses abroad.

Taufiq Asif said since there were inconsistencies in the PM speech, it shows the premier lied to the Parliament, and that he is no more a 'Sadiq' and 'Ameen' (honest and righteous) as per the requirement of Article 62 and 63 of the Constitution; hence, the court should declare him ineligible for the office.

Taufiq Asif claimed that the PM had admitted owning the London flats; however, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa rejected the argument, saying that had the PM accepted this property the hearing of this case should have ended today.

The Supreme Court later adjourned hearing of the Panama Papers case until Monday.

Talking to the media outside the Supreme Court before the start of the hearing today, Shaikh Rasheed said that the coffin of corruption would come out from the Supreme Court.

The government ministers are trying to threaten the court to give an impression of conspiracy against them while during his ten days arguments in the court the counsel of the prime minister Makhdoom Ali Khan did not inform about the money trail. Such expensive gifts given by sons of the prime minister to their father were not even given by Mughal kings to their parents, he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017

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