Panama leaks fallout: PTI set to move plea for PM Nawaz’s disqualification

Petition to be filed by Dr Arshad, who contested 2013 elections against Nawaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD: Upping the ante in its campaign for a thorough probe into the Panama Papers leaks, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) on Monday announced that it has decided to file a petition seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Another opposition group, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), in its bid to file a disqualification plea, has already approached the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to get attested copies of the nomination papers of PM Nawaz and his other family members which they had filed while contesting elections from 1990 to 2013.



The PPP has also applied for copies of statements of assets that the premier, his brother Shehbaz Sharif, his son in law Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar and Ishaq Dar have been filing with ECP.

PTI spokesperson Naeemul Haq told the media that his party is all set to move an application against the prime minister on the basis of evidence gathered so far.



Dr Yasmeen Rashid, who had contested the 2013 general elections against Nawaz Sharif from NA-120 Lahore on PTI ticket, will file this petition on behalf of his party. Haq said Dr Yasmeen will move the ECP within the next few days as soon as he returns from a visit abroad.



However, in such cases, the ECP usually asks the petitioners to go to the relevant high court. The election commission takes up disqualification matters if these are filed within 120 days of an election. Either it hears these complaints itself or refers them to post-election tribunals. It is not clear whether the ECP will go for proceedings of these complaints itself.

Notices issued to Safdar

The ECP on Monday issued notices to Captain Safdar in a petition PTI had filed last week.

PTI’s Nawabzada Salahuddin Saeed, who had lost the general elections against Safdar from NA-21 Manshera had moved ECP to de-seat the PM’s son-in-law for allegedly concealing assets of his spouse Maryum Nawaz.

In his petition filed through a counsel, Saeed said that Safdar has not mentioned assets held by his spouse abroad. Panama Papers have revealed names of hundreds of Pakistanis who have their wealth parked in off-shore companies. PM’s three children among them.

According to PTI sources, Safdar only mentioned that Maryum has shares in two sugar mills and inherited agriculture land, but he has not mentioned any asset she ever held outside Pakistan including the properties mentioned in the Panama leaks.

PTI’s counsel in this case, Faisal Hussain Chaudhry claims that it was a very strong case to de-seat Safdar for concealing his family’s assets. He said he would be moving petition in ECP on behalf of his client next week.

Ayaz Sadiq’s case

In an important development, the ECP has reserved its judgment on a complaint filed by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq against his PTI rival Aleem Khan.

Aleem Khan had challenged the election of Ayaz when he defeated him in a by-election last year. Some of the documents Aleem had attached to corroborate his claims were later found to be incorrect. Ayaz had moved a counter petition against Aleem Khan in the ECP.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2016.