Bombshell or damp squib?

These words will appear in print on the day that judgment is delivered in the Panama Papers case. Some sections of the populace, the chattering and political classes in particular, await the result with bated breath. Other sections and in all likelihood the vast majority in purely numerical terms, could not give a fig either way. It will be recalled that the bench had reserved its verdict on February 23^rd in respect of a raft of petitions that sought the disqualification of the prime minister in the aftermath of the disclosures made in the Panama Papers, a voluminous leak of information relating to monies parked in offshore entities by tens of thousands worldwide. The name of the PM does not appear anywhere in the Panama Papers, but those of his close family members do.

Assorted parties thought they had spotted an opportunity to unseat the ruling PML-N and promptly went about enriching a flotilla of lawyers that sailed into battle on their behalf. They failed to land a killer blow during tortuous and often confusing and conflicting submissions. Innumerable side-alleys were explored, red herrings were landed by the bucketload, foreign princes put in an appearance, money trails were followed and lost in the undergrowth and now we arrive at a point where all will be revealed and resolved. Or not.

The results of the deliberations of the honourable justices who have laboured long and creditably will be revealed as a verdict in Courtroom 1 of the Supreme Court at 2pm on Thursday, April 20. The five judges have decided to give their individual written submissions rather than offer a collective conclusion. It is impossible to pre-empt the result either way but expectations that the judgment will be a landmark may be premature. The verdict may as predicted last for centuries, but whether it will see the fall of a sitting government with a substantial parliamentary majority is very much an open question. And yes, we really do wait with bated breath.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2017.

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