All sides claim victory in Panamagate ruling

PML-N, PTI leaders react on judgment in their own way

ISLAMABAD: As Asif Saeed Khosa, who headed the five-member bench that heard the Panamagate, announced a split verdict and issued directives for forming a Joint Investigation Team to probe the case, PTI Chairman Imran Khan shook his hand in triumph while federal ministers congratulated each other, saying ‘bach gaya, bach gaya’ (he has been saved) referring to the prime minister.

What was being billed as a landmark judgment in the (judicial) history of Pakistan turns out to be a decision where the government and petitioners both claimed victory.

As is usually the case, the action began on the electronic media from Tuesday evening (when the judgment was fixed for announcement on Thursday) two days before things began to foment in Court Room No 1 of the Supreme Court.

The entrance to the court room, which used to be full even during day-to- day hearing of the case, was brimming with reporters, anchorpersons and politicians and sundry lawyers who had come to watch the biggest face-off in the town.

The courtroom was jam-packed 45 minutes before the announcement of the judgment scheduled for 2pm. Federal ministers Marriyum Aurangzeb, Tariq Fazal Chaudhary, Saad Rafique, including firebrand lawmakers Daniyal Aziz, Talal Chaudhry and others sat separately on different seats. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and Tariq Fazal were constantly reciting holy verses with composed faces.



Aurangzeb preferred to remain silent while Aziz was chewing gum and chatting with confidantes sitting on his right and left, showing no signs of discomfort. The PTI chairman was constantly rolling his rosary and often leaning towards Jehangir Tareen and whispering with usual orator-style hand moves.

As phones were not allowed inside the court room, reporters hollered updates over the phones to their newsrooms instantly with the arrival of known politicians from all parties.

To spend time, lawmakers and the jam-packed audience strolled around the premises and exchanged pleasantries. But all that stopped and the audience rose on their seats as soon as the judges stepped into the hall to a pin-drop silence.

As Khosa was giving his verdict which lasted hardly 13 minutes, almost everyone in the courtroom was on their toes and craning their necks, carefully listening with glistening foreheads. Khan was listening with his eyes closed while Rafique was scribbling the ruling frantically on his notebook.

As soon as head of the bench ended reading the verdict, it was as if time had stopped for a fleeting moment, and in another moment everyone started congratulating each other with the ruling party lawmakers shaking hands while at the same time PTI representatives started hugging their friends and exiting the premises.



The entrance to the building reverberated with the ruling party’s signature slogan ‘dekho dekho kaun aya, sher aya sher aya’ as federal ministers started making their way towards the podium having dozens of cameras broadcasting every bit of the moment directly.

The police deployed at the scene struggled to contain the boisterous ruling party loyalists by shoving them to the exit gate but not before distribution of sweets, obviously for cameras and the nation to “see them celebrating”.



The PTI leadership headed to Bani Gala while pushing, shoving and jostling for position started as reporters strained to make out how to take them on phones and cameras or giving live beepers.

While police officials kept asking journalists as to what happened or who had won or lost, ruling party loyalists had started celebrations on Constitution Avenue with party flags as Khan told a lawyer inside the court that “abhe tu party shoru howi hay” (party has just started).