Hassan accuses JIT of fabricating charges

PM’s assistant says probe team had agreed to travel to Qatar but now seems to have backtracked

ISLAMABAD: [fbvideo link="https://www.facebook.com/etribune/videos/1908157039201313/"][/fbvideo]

The prime minister’s younger son Hassan Nawaz has alleged that the joint investigation team (JIT) is ‘desperately’ trying to make up some allegation against the Sharif family and that he and his siblings are being used to exert pressure on PM Nawaz Sharif.

“We are being summoned again and again in order to put up hurdles in the way of the prime minister and progress of the country. The JIT does not have any issues with my businesses abroad but with the prime minister,” Hassan said, who appeared before the JIT on Monday for a third time.

This was the first time Hassan Nawaz spoke to reporters present outside the Federal Judicial Academy, the JIT’s temporary secretariat. Upon his earlier appearances, he had avoided making any comment before the inquisitive media.

During his brief interaction, the PM’s son claimed that he did not know the nature of allegations he had been facing, as the JIT had never informed him about it. He said he had asked the JIT about his ‘crime’.

“I asked them to tell me about the crime which I have committed and for which I am being grilled for hours and my siblings and other family members are being summoned,” he said, adding that the JIT only changes the name and cuts and pastes the same language to issue a fresh summons.



“A Jumma bazaar [Friday market] of summons is being organised by the JIT. They are issuing summons day and night but not telling specifically about the allegations against us,” he said.

Hassan said it is customary around the world that allegations are levelled first and then inquiries are conducted. “But here the cart is being put before the horse by carrying out investigations in a bid to look for allegations,” he said.

The premier’s son said he had been living in the UK for the last 23 years and had been doing business for the last 15 years but their regulatory authorities had never raised any concerns; however, this newly-formed JIT was asking questions.

“Put a blame of motorbike theft on me but at least do inform me about it,” he said, adding that he appeared before the JIT on the advice of his father, although he was not bound to be part of investigations as he was a non-resident.

He said he had submitted all the relevant record including asset details, tax returns, loan agreements, bank accounts statement with the JIT. “All this record had already been [submitted before] the Supreme Court during the Panamagate case [hearing].”



Replying to a question, Hassan said the JIT asked him how he started his businesses abroad.

JIT’s report without prince’s testimony incomplete

The PM’s Special Assistant Asif Kirmani said the JIT’s report without inclusion of a statement by Qatari prince Hamad Bin Jassim would not be acceptable to the government and be treated as ‘incomplete’.

“The JIT’s report sans Qatari prince statement will be treated as incomplete,” he said, while speaking to media outside the Federal Judicial Academy.

Kirmani apprehended that JIT had taken a U-turn in the probe and was not willing to go to Qatar to record statement of prince, who had provided two letters to the apex court to provide money trail for the Sharif’s London flats.

“Reportedly the JIT had offered three options to the prince for recording his statement. One of the options was that the JIT members would go to Qatar to record the prince’s statement.

“Reacting to the offer, prince had invited the JIT members to come over to Doha but now the JIT is backtracking from its own offer and has taken a U-turn from its original mandate,” he said.

Kirmani said the JIT members should visit Qatar. Otherwise, the PML-N and countrymen will have serious reservations in accepting this report, he added.

He said the JIT had hired services of a UK-based law firm to get possession of all those documents which Sharif family had already submitted with the apex court. “The UK law firm will be paid out of taxpayers’ money to get documents which are already in possession of the SC,” he said.