12-member Qatari delegation including Prince Jassim arrives in Lahore

Letter written by the prince has been presented before the SC in connection with Panamagate

LAHORE: A 12-member delegation of Qatari royals including Prince Hamad bin Jassim arrived on Saturday in Lahore.

The timing of the delegation's arrival appears to be crucial -- comes as it does in the wake of the counsel for the premier's sons presenting a letter from Prince Jassim before the Supreme Court pertaining to the Panamagate probe.

The delegation was received by Punjab Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan and PM Sharif's Hasan Nawaz and taken to the Sharif's Jati Umra residence.



On Thursday, taking a swipe at Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan said that not even a conversation with US President-elect Donald Trump could ‘save’ the premier from the Panamagate probe.

The PTI chairman tweeted, “Good news is Trump spoke to Nawaz Sharif. Bad news for NS is this won’t save him from Panama scandal – not even if a Trump letter arrived!”

On November 15, submitting documentary evidence on the ‘legitimacy’ of their assets before the Supreme Court Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, claimed their London apartment was bought through Qatari investments.

Along with a 397-page document consisting details of transactions as well as receipts of payments since 2011, the Sharif family submitted a letter from a Qatari prince claiming the flats were purchased through the settlement of accounts between his family’s company and the Sharif family.

PM Nawaz’s children’s counsel Akram Sheikh submitted a letter from Qatari Prince Shaikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Muhammed Al Thani to the top court’s larger bench.

The letter addressing the apex court states that in 1980, Mian Muhammad Sharif (Nawaz Sharif’s father) invested 12 million dirhams in the Al Thani company belonging to the Qatari prince’s father. “In the year 2006, the accounts in relation to the above investment were settled between Hussain Nawaz Sharif and Al Thani family, who then delivered the bearer shares of the companies referred in para 4 above to a representative of Hussain Nawaz Sharif,” the letter read.



On November 3, the premier denied holding offshore companies in a written response to the Supreme Court on Panamagate petitions. In his reply, the PM said he had declared all his assets in 2013, hence was not liable for disqualification under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.