SC to begin hearing petition on dismissal of Imran Khan, Jahangir Tareen

The Supreme Court, on May 3, will restart hearing a petition seeking the dismissal of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and PTI Secretary General Jahangir Khan Tareen.

The petition, filed by the PML-N’s Hanif Abassi, accuses the two PTI leaders for not declaring their assets to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and seeks to unseat them based on alleged violations of the lncome Tax Ordinance 1979 and Peoples Act 1974.

Amidst a heightened political backdrop, a three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Saqib Nasir, Justice Umar Ata Bindial and Justice Faisal Arab will begin hearing the petition tomorrow.

Abbasi’s petition was accepted by the apex court in November last year by former chief justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali.

Abbasi, through his counsel Muhammad Akram Sheikh, seeks the PTI leaders’ disqualification under charges of false declaration before the ECP, non-disclosure of assets in offshore companies, and for being a foreign-funded party.

Abbasi’s petition argues that by failing to disclose the existence of “Niazi Services Limited” — an off-shore company allegedly owned by the PTI chairman — to the ECP, Khan stands in violation of the Income Tax Ordinance of 1979.

Additionally, Abbasi claims that the ‘off-shore company’ has consistently been submitting its financial documents to the relevant authorities in the Channel Islands, where the company is said to be based.

Abbasi maintains that Imran Khan failed to formally declare his ‘off-shore company’ to authorities in Pakistan and opines that Khan’s intention to establish the off-shore company, which was dissolved in October 2015, was rooted in tax evasion.

Furthermore, Abbasi argues that Imran Khan failed to disclose to the ECP his Rs2.97 million purchase of a luxury apartment in the capital city of Islamabad. That, he argues, is a violation of the Peoples Act of 1974 and can result in the dismissal of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

The PTI, too, had filed a petition to the SC last November, dismissing Hanif Abbasi’s petition.

The PTI had reasoned that the petition against them was ill-intentioned, citing Abbasi’s electoral defeat at the hands of Imran Khan in NA-56, Rawalpindi.

Today, PTI counsel Naeem Bukhari submitted a three-page document to the SC, urging it to dismiss Abbasi’s petition.

PTI largely reiterated its original stance, adding that the petition against PTI is Abbasi’s attempt at cosying up to the prime minister, whose premiership itself, rests on the outcome of the Panamagate JIT.

The court was also reminded by the PTI counsel that Hanif Abbasi stands nominated in a number of corruption cases, including the ephedrine scandal and the Rawalpindi Metro Bus case.

The hearing, which begins tomorrow, will consider petitions filed by both parties.

Over the past two years, the ECP has also been hearing a petition against the PTI. This petition, filed by Akbar Babar, alleges that PTI uses ‘foreign funding’ to fuel its political campaigns in Pakistan. The ECP is expected to deliver its verdict on May 8.

Source: Dawn