Foreign assets case: Don't confine probe to political parties, says CJ
CJP tells petitioner he cannot summon foreign parties to assist probe.
ISLAMABAD:
The Chief Justice of Pakistan on Monday said that the court cannot summon those listed as parties in the foreign assets case unless specific information is provided by the petitioner.
The CJP Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry made these remarks during the hearing of the case regarding foreign assets of civil and military officers.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court said it would hear the petition regarding foreign assets and formed a larger bench to conduct the hearing today (Monday).
The petition was filed in the apex court by former Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani. The petition states that certain Pakistani civilian and military officials, politicians and businessmen have made money through illegal means and subsequently laundered it to Switzerland and other countries.
The Supreme Court in today’s hearing directed the petitioner to amend the petition to make it more relevant.
The chief justice told the petitioner that the court cannot invoke foreign parties to assist in the investigation, as the petition had suggested.
"We are a sovereign state,” the chief justice told the petitioner. “We can't invite anyone from abroad to help us out.”
He also told the petitioner that he should not confine his allegations to political parties, adding that the flight of capital to specific countries must be ascertained.
"You have mentioned PPP, PML-N, MQM and PML-Q. We can't summon everyonme," the chief justice said.
The court has now adjourned the hearing for two weeks and ordered the petitioner to file new papers.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan on Monday said that the court cannot summon those listed as parties in the foreign assets case unless specific information is provided by the petitioner.
The CJP Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry made these remarks during the hearing of the case regarding foreign assets of civil and military officers.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court said it would hear the petition regarding foreign assets and formed a larger bench to conduct the hearing today (Monday).
The petition was filed in the apex court by former Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani. The petition states that certain Pakistani civilian and military officials, politicians and businessmen have made money through illegal means and subsequently laundered it to Switzerland and other countries.
The Supreme Court in today’s hearing directed the petitioner to amend the petition to make it more relevant.
The chief justice told the petitioner that the court cannot invoke foreign parties to assist in the investigation, as the petition had suggested.
"We are a sovereign state,” the chief justice told the petitioner. “We can't invite anyone from abroad to help us out.”
He also told the petitioner that he should not confine his allegations to political parties, adding that the flight of capital to specific countries must be ascertained.
"You have mentioned PPP, PML-N, MQM and PML-Q. We can't summon everyonme," the chief justice said.
The court has now adjourned the hearing for two weeks and ordered the petitioner to file new papers.