Imran rejects SC proposal for formation of inquiry commission to probe Panamagate case

PTI chairman says existing SC bench can decide based on day-to-day hearing

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Thursday rejected the Supreme Court's proposal to form an inquiry commission to probe into the Panamagate case.

"We do not require an inquiry commission to decide the Panamagate case," Imran said while addressing the media in Islamabad. The PTI chairman said the existing top court bench led by the Chief Justice can decide the case on a day-to-day basis.

Imran questioned as to how the commission would yield results when all state institutions were working under the premier. The PM will not resign as a result of the commission’s findings, he added.



Imran reiterated that all ministers were working in unison to hide Sharif family’s corruption. “The premier terming his earlier address in the parliament a political speech meant that it was scripted and that he was lying to the nation,” he alleged.

Chairman PTI further said that masses are fast losing their faith in institutions, adding, “People are under the impression that nothing can be done against the powerful and the influential.

Imran added that the PTI had come up with the decision regarding the commission after holding intra-party consultation on the matter.

PIA plane crash inquiry

Regarding the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) airplane crash, PTI chairman said the incident called for attention to improving the standards of the national flag carrier. “PIA’s safety record is not very encouraging, we need to conduct an inquiry of the incident and take steps to avoid such mishaps in future,” Imran maintained.

On Wednesday, the top court once again proposed formation of a commission for verification of documents submitted by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to establish their claims.

However, the court clarified that if the major parties in the case did not favour the proposal, the same bench of the apex court would continue to adjudicate the case, adding that a direct judgment on available evidence might amaze both the parties.



The Supreme Court is currently hearing a number of petitions filed in the wake of the Panama Papers revelations about the offshore companies of the family members of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

A five-judge larger bench, headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, made it clear that the commission, if formed, would confine its probe only to the money trail of the Sharif family to acquire their London properties.

The government counsel said they had no objection to the idea but he requested that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should be exempted from the commission’s probe.

However, the PTI sought time for deliberation. Upon this, the bench accepted the party’s lead counsel Naeem Bukhari’s plea and adjourned the hearing till Friday (tomorrow).



Legal experts believe that acceptance of the court’s suggestion is a big test for both the PML-N and the PTI as both have some reservations over the proposed commission.

Justice Jamali is set to retire in Dec 31 and a full-court reference and farewell dinner will be hosted in his honour on December 15 due to winter recess in the apex court.  In this scenario, if both the parties do not agree on a commission then the bench will have only two days for hearing in the next week.

If Justice Jamali retires before giving any decision in the case, then a new bench will be constituted by his successor Justice Mian Saqib Nisar.