PML-N rejects report, decides to challenge findings

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday rejected the Joint Investigation Team's (JIT) report, terming it "trash" and announced that it would challenge the findings of the body. Speaking at a news conference after a consultative meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Prime Minister's House, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform and senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal rejected the report, saying the report "served the agenda of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)."
He claimed the report submitted by the JIT with the Supreme Court lacks the authenticity as well as evidence. "the Panamagate JIT report is based on Imran Khan's viewpoints as it reads like an "Imran-nama," serving political agenda behind it," he added. According to him, the report focused on the Sharif family's personal businesses rather than mismanagement or corruption while holding public office, he said while terming it a compilation of political accusations against the government. "The report benefits only one political party, however, we understand the political motive behind the report and will challenge the report in the Supreme Court," he added.
Moreover, he said, the Panama Leaks do not carry the name of Nawaz Sharif. Ahsan said the party's lawyers are analysing the report from all angles. "We will unveil the contradictions of this report in front of the Supreme Court," he added. He said Imran Khan wants political instability in the country, adding that PTI failed in its "dharna-I, dharna-II" and now this is no more than a "dharna-III" which is another attempt to destabilise the country. But the government will fight off all the conspiracies since there is no involvement of public exchequer fraud or any scandal in any of the PML-N projects, He added.
"The Prime Minister has nothing to do with the Sharif family business," he said, adding that the SC had asked the JIT to seek answers of 13 questions but it chose to act as a trial court. "We not only condemn this report but will completely expose and unveil its contradictions and falsification," Iqbal added. "We will demolish this report [as] it holds no value at all," he said, adding that the arch rivals of Nawaz Sharif were made part of the JIT. Barrister Zafarullah Khan also speaking at the press conference concurred with Ahsan Iqbal, saying: "It is not a JIT report; rather, it is a PTI report."
"Four out of the six members of the JIT had no prior experience in handling legal investigations," he added. He said the members have no experience with respect to investigation and interrogation. He also resorted to personal attacks against individual members of the JIT, accusing them of being anti-PML-N. He further accused the JIT of tampering with and attempting to twist the investigation to suit its ends. They are non-professionals and have zero experience about Qanoon-e-Shahadat (law of evidence)," he said and claimed, "The JIT did not make any recommendation to send references to the National Accountability Bureau against the Prime Minister and his family members."
Discussing the constitution of the JIT, he said one of its members, Bilal Rasool, was a relative of Mian Azhar (a political opponent of Nawaz Sharif) and a biased person. "The JIT had been threatening those appearing before it. The JIT wasted a lot of time on irrelevant matters. It allocated 120 pages to discuss media reports. All it has done is just to create anarchy."
He said another controversial JIT member is Amir Aziz, who had been a key person to pursue references against the PML-N leaders during the Pervez Musharraf's regime. "Our two men - Tariq Shafi and Javed Kiani - were threatened during the proceedings to get the desired statements." He said anybody assigned to do justice must not show bias. "We have decided to challenge it in the Supreme Court," he said. He noted that the JIT had failed to record the statement of a key witness. "We hope the Supreme Court bench will consign this report to the trash bin, " he further said.
He said the picture got leaked but it was never told even to the Supreme Court who was the person who leaked it. He said that Wajid Zia who was leading the JIT did not take the statement of Qatari prince, adding that the statement of Pervez Musharraf, who was facing treason charges, however, was recorded from his residence. "The JIT report is a source report. It is a wrong report and just a fairy tale. We shall file objections on it before the Supreme Court," he said and expressed confidence that the apex court would throw the report into a dustbin.
Speaking at the press conference, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif termed the JIT findings "witch-hunting" and said the JIT mostly relied on what was said by Rehman Malik, former interior minister and a senior leader of the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP). He said that the source report has no legal standing and the report cannot be based on drafts only. "The report has relied heavily on statements given by Rehman Malik. I thought JIT's members were educated people but I was mistaken," he said. "The story is not over yet. It has just begun. We will fully fight a legal battle," he added.
The defence minister said that it was a political battle and not the legal one. He said that the government would contest the JIT report in the apex court, adding that the government has firm faith in the judiciary. Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said, "The report is what the government was already expecting it to be." He said the report is full of contradictions and even Imran Khan could spot them. Several things in the report are unbelievable and comical, said the federal minister.
He said that Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz do not live in Pakistan and are overseas Pakistanis, adding laws in other countries are stricter than those in Pakistan.
He said, "It is a political war and we will demolish all allegations while exercising all legal formalities." Earlier yesterday, the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) submitted its final report with the Supreme Court in Panama Papers case. The JIT has observed major disparities in the finances of the Sharif family and their known and declared sources of income.
Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, rejected the final report submitted by the joint investigation team. "JIT report REJECTED. Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in SC. NOT a penny of public exchequer (is) involved: PML-N," she tweeted.