Govt hits back at Sharifs over affidavit saga

Revelations spark feisty response from ministers who stress Sharif attempted to pressurise judiciary

ISLAMABAD:

The government ministers on Sunday fired a broadside at the Sharif family, terming it "Sicilian mafia" after a damning report in this paper revealed that the affidavit signed by former Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) top judge Rana M Shamim was notarised at the ex-PM's office in London.

The revelations, thrusting the contentious affidavit into a new round of uncertainty and recriminations, cited exclusive evidence and reported that the ex-chief G-B judge took the oath and signed an affidavit in the office of Nawaz Sharif. In the evidence available, Charles Guthrie, a UK solicitor confirmed that “the judge guy” was at “Marble Arch”.

Big exposé by Irfan Hashmi affirms what the nation already knows, Sharif family premeditated attack on judiciary to hamper & influence proceedings against unmasked with revelation that Nawaz Sharif had Rana Shamim sign the shady affidavit in his presence n office pic.twitter.com/oa3ORdN0zH

— Mirza Shahzad Akbar (@ShazadAkbar) December 26, 2021

Further, the story disclosed that the solicitor indicated that Sharif was also present when Shamim signed the affidavit and took the oath. When asked if "they were like quite cosy when they were in there (Sharif's office)," Guthrie replied: “Very… yeah.”

‘Sicilian mafia’

The disclosure has inspired a feisty response from the government ministers who have long viewed the affidavit as originating from the Sharif family’s personal orbit to incriminate the judges and tip the scales in their favour. Taking to Twitter, Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry shared a newspaper clipping, saying new revelations proved once again that the Sharif family worked like a Sicilian mafia.

"The latest developments have once again exposed the Sharif family to be the Sicilian mafia and how, like a mafia, they possess the power to blackmail the courts and institutions," he said. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar claimed that the Sharif family had “premeditated attack” on the judiciary to hamper and influence proceedings.

راناشمیم نے جسٹس ثاقب نثار اور اسلام آباد ہائیکورٹ کے جج صاحبان کیخلاف حلف نامہ نواز شریف کے دفتر میں ان کے سامنے Notarise کرایا،نئےانکشافات نےایک بار پھر شریف فیملی کو سیسیلین مافیا ثابت کیا ہے کہ کس طرح وہ ایک مافیا کی طرح عدالتوں سمیت اداروں کو بلیک میل کرنےکی صلاحیت رکھتےہیں pic.twitter.com/MBPx0V1jpY

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) December 26, 2021

He expressed that in the wake of the news story, the big question now was as to who gave "the questionable affidavit" to the journalist as Rana Shamim said that it was in a safe.  Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari also gave her two cents. She said the Sharif family had a "history" of "influencing" the judiciary.

"From the assault on the SC (Supreme Court) to calls to Justice Qayyum to this latest affidavit saga, it is a repeated story of corruption on all fronts," the human rights minister said in a tweet. State Minister for Information Farrukh Habib termed the story a "major revelation", saying the son of Rana Shamim has also made similar remarks on national television.

NS & family just cannot move beyond trying to thwart justice through buying influence or physically attacking SC! From assault on SC to calls to Justice Qayyum to this latest Affidavit saga, it's a repeated story of corruption on all fronts! pic.twitter.com/5ifDjEFMiQ

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) December 26, 2021

‘Exposé punctures Shamim’s affidavit’

The revelation that Shamim had signed the affidavit in the office of Sharif has sparked a debate over the dubious role of the family in generating controversies, providing grounds for implicating the Sharifs in contempt of court. “This damning story essentially punctures the Rana Shamim affidavit and puts Sharifs in a pretty bad light,” Imtiaz Gul, a prominent journalist and executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies, said.

Read Ex-CJP rejects allegations of keeping Nawaz in jail till 2018 polls

Supreme Court advocate and human rights activist Mohammad Azhar Siddique said the complete credit went to the reporter for accomplishing this task. “Truth has to be revealed,” he said, appreciating the reporter for digging out the story. Special Assistant to PM Malik Amir Dogar said, “Another heinous conspiracy of the Sharif family [has been] exposed. The facts came out that Rana Shamim’s affidavit on the honourable judges was signed in the presence of Nawaz Sharif in Nawaz Sharif’s London office.”

Meanwhile, Twitter went abuzz with trending hashtags ‘#NawazCaughtAgain’ and ‘#RanaShamim’ with people, including experts, media persons and politicians, commenting on the exposé. “Why is it that everything the Sharif family did is always a criminal fraud?” PTI leader Zulfiqar Bukhari wondered. “Time and time again they result in deceit and humiliation.”

Sharifs face heat

MNA Sobia Kamal Khan said, “The forged documents submitted in courts, bringing judiciary in disrepute, money laundering & even treason against the state. This is Sharifs & Bhuttos on show.”
Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul tweeted, “The fugitive fraudster’s crime spree saga continues….”

رانا شمیم ن لیگ وکلا ونگ کے عہدیدار تھے یہ بات ان کا صاحبزادہ TV پر تسلیم کر چکا ہے۔ یہ بہت بڑا انکشاف ہے کہ اب Affidavit بھی نواز شریف نے اپنی موجودگی میں عدلیہ پر حملہ کرنے کے لئے تحریر کروایا ہے۔ اسی لئے تو انکو گارڈ فادر کہا گیا تھا۔
رسی جل گئی ہے مگر بل نہیں گیا https://t.co/XonhDCU9iE pic.twitter.com/BfZVPt2g7F

— Farrukh Habib (@FarrukhHabibISF) December 26, 2021

Maazuddin, a social media activist said that after “forgery, perjury and fake affidavits or videos to cover up their corruption and money laundering, another fraud” had come to the fore by “this mafia”. “This is grounds for contempt of court, falsified claims & witness tampering,” he commented.

Zaid Raza, a netizen, said, “Some people were quite annoyed at Justice Asif Khosa drawing parallels of this family with the Sicilian mafia. It was probably the most honest depiction of this family and I pray that they never come close to power in Pakistan ever again.”

Kashif, another Twitterati, said during the last few weeks alone it had been proven “beyond a shadow of a doubt that Sharifs manufactured a fake Saqib Nisar audio, got Rana Shamim to sign a false affidavit and had been manipulating and controlling media at the taxpayers’ expense”. “Sharifs are the biggest mafia this country has seen.”