Formation of the JIT is quite incomprehensible for the public
LARKANA: With the Panama case verdict finally out, ordering to form Joint Investigative Team (JIT), including one official of every institution from National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), State Bank of Pakistan, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI), led by director general FIA, certain questions arise regarding both practicality and credibility of the JIT. First and foremost, is there any judicial precedent where the defendants could not provide enough evidence to prove their innocence in a corruption case was investigated by a JIT?
When the state investigative structures, including NAB and the FIA, did nothing to investigate the Panama case, how will the inclusion of the ISI and the MI make a difference in getting the desired results, given the two security agencies lack expertise in money laundering, offshore accounts, money trails and financial misappropriation probes?
The court itself had expressed displeasure over the ineffectiveness and paralysis of these state institutions in question, how will the inclusion of the intelligence agencies bring resuscitation as well as required effectiveness to probe the Prime Minister under whom those institutions are working?
Besides, when Sharif and his family had the courage to produce evidentiary material based on the tittle-tattle, like Qatari letter and suppressed facts before the apex court, how would the JIT bring justice?
The formation of the JIT is quite incomprehensible for the public. The Panamagate verdict has been hailed by some cabinet ministers as “historic victory”, even though the PM has not been given a clean chit. But their euphoria comes from the understanding that their leader and his family have escaped indictment by the larger bench of the judiciary, hence they are quite confident that the JIT would not be able to catch them.
Nazeer Ahmed Arijo
Published in The Express Tribune, April 23rd, 2017.
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