Sharifs’ legal team mulls filing review petition

ISLAMABAD: Legal wizards of the Sharif family have expressed fears that strong observations made by the five-member Supreme Court in the Panamagate verdict against members of the ruling family might create prejudice in the investigation of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).

A senior PML-N leader told The Express Tribune that legal minds of the ruling party and the Sharif family’s legal team have started deliberations over whether to file a review petition or not against the April 20 judgment.

He also revealed that the legal team had strong reservations over the observations made by every member of the larger bench against members of the ruling family, particularly Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
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“We fail to understand why the SC judges have given observations before the outcome of the JIT’s investigation.”

Likewise, the senior PML-N leader stated that when the SC judges were saying that they could not examine evidence at this stage, then why they had considered and given observations on it, believing that the judgment should not be delivered on personal likes and dislikes.

A senior PML-N lawyer, who was initially part of the legal team, believes that the respondents must file a review petition; otherwise the JIT’s investigation will be prejudiced.

In this regard counsel for Prime Minister Makhoom Ali Khan, who lives in Karachi, arrived in Islamabad on Monday.

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On the other hand, a senior PTI leader told The Express Tribune that the party’s legal team has recommended the leadership not to file a review petition as they should only monitor the JIT’s investigation so that 60 days timeline could not be extended.

It is also learnt that the Supreme Court office has sought three names from each department regarding formation of the JIT to probe the Panamagate case.

Sources said that a letter has been sent by the SC office to the FIA, NAB, the State Bank, SECP, the ISI and the MI for recommending three names for the constitution of the JIT.

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The SC judgment had asked heads of these departments to send in their respective nominees within seven days so that they can be placed before the bench for nomination and approval. The seven days deadline is going to end on Thursday.

It is also learnt that all these departments have started consultations to shortlist their respective nominees.

CJP’s advice to PTI chief

Days after the Supreme Court announced the historic verdict, Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Monday urged PTI Chairman Imran Khan — the petitioner in the case — to play his role in ending an atmosphere of mistrust.

“Being a leader of the nation, you carry a major responsibility. You are not an individual. Your one call may cause chaos or stability in the country,” Justice Nisar said during hearing of a case regarding encroachment of land in Bani Gala.

The CJP had taken suo motu notice after the PTI chief wrote a letter to the former, seeking his intervention in the matter.

Heading a three-judge bench of the apex court, Justice Nisar also observed that people approach courts as they place their trust in the justice system. “However, the atmosphere of mistrust must end,” he remarked.

The CJP also reminded the PTI chief that he had played cricket under his captaincy during their time at Aitchison College. “Once you hit the ball so hard that it flew all the way beyond the church premises,” he recounted.

The CJP also observed “Dissenting verdicts are given everywhere in the world, but nowhere are they discussed as much as in Pakistan.”

He asked the PTI chief to strengthen institutions.

Later, speaking to the media outside the SC, Khan expressed his gratitude to the CJP for taking up his case, besides lauding the top court’s five-judge bench, which heard the Panamagate case for writing down a “historic verdict”.

The PTI chief went on to say that his party played its role in the restoration of judiciary in the country and it would still stand by the apex court over the Panamagate case verdict.

Source: The Express Tribune