PM not answerable for son's business: counsel

Makhdoom Ali Khan says PM Nawaz was not a shareholder in Gulf Steel Mills

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s counsel on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the premier is not answerable to anyone for his son's business.

During his arguments, PM Nawaz's counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan contended before a five-bench larger bench hearing the Panamagate case that no law can hold the premier questionable for his son's business. "PM Nawaz was not a shareholder in Gulf Steel Mills," Khan upheld.



However, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa observed that none of the records submitted in SC suggest PM Nawaz was not a shareholder. While the counsel argued that the premier did not lie before the Parliament, he admitted that there were some omissions in PM Nawaz's speech.

"PM Nawaz only gave an overview of his business in the speech, however, there were some omissions in it," the counsel stated. Meanwhile, Justice Khosa observed that PM Nawaz had failed to give a reference about Qatari investments in his speech. "If there were some omissions in PM Nawaz's speech, should it be termed as a lie or half truth?" he observed.

"What implication will Article 66 have, which states proceedings of the parliament cannot be challenged by any court of law," Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan questioned.



Earlier, the apex court made it clear that it does not need consent of the rival parties for forming a judicial commission to further probe the Panama Papers scandal. “The Supreme Court bench does not need consent of the parties to form a judicial commission in the matter,” Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, who heads the Supreme Court’s five-judge larger bench hearing the Panamagate case, said on Wednesday.