LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice (CJ) Mansoor Ali Shah on Monday ordered a petitioner to give more arguments on his petition challenging the speaker’s act to dismiss a reference for the prime minister’s disqualification in the wake of Panamagate.
Sardar Umer Farooq, a member of Pakistan Justice and Democratic Party (JDP) led by former CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry, had challenged Nawaz Sharif’s eligibility.
The lawyer said National Assembly Speaker Ayaz had dismissed as not maintainable all references against the PM on the basis of Panama Leaks revelations wherein the premier’s sons and daughter were accused of running offshore companies with the money allegedly not declared to the tax authorities. He also submitted that the PM was bound to declare his offshore companies and properties abroad to the ECP, but he failed to do so, which rendered him disqualified.
He also said the speaker did not address at least 15 questions set in the reference and those on which he ruled, deviated from the actual context of the matter. He submitted that the speaker while dealing with the reference, had overstepped his authority by exercising judicial powers and decided the issue, which fell in the jurisdiction of the ECP.
He said the speaker was bound to put the references before the ECP. He had said that the PM had to disclose the source of his money when the foreign assets of his family had become an admitted fact.
He said the court had already held, a person is bound to prove his innocence when his relation by any means, is associated with the resources amassed illegally. He had asserted that in the light of the court’s order the issue of terms of reference for Panama inquiry would have also been solved automatically as it would have become legal binding on the PM to establish conformity in the sources of his assets and that of his other family members.
He requested to declare the speaker’s decision as null and void.
The CJ ordered the petitioner to come up with more arguments on January 23, 2017.
