Pak SC could summon PM Sharif's in Panamagate case

Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court, hearing a fresh a slew of petitions seeking Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's disqualification following the Panamagate case, said on Thursday that members of the Sharif family could be summoned if they contradict their stance regarding their properties in London.

"If Sharif family contradicts previous interviews regarding London flats, the top court can summon them," said Justice Asif Saeed Khosa who heads the five-judge bench of the apex court hearing the petitions in the Panamagate case.

His statement came after Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawyer Naeem Bukhari referred to interviews of Sharif and his children to establish their contradictory stance on London properties.

However, Justice Khosa observed that if anyone denies their media statements then they will have to record statements, said media reports.

Justice Khosa also pointed out that the premier never stated that London properties are owned by his son, Hussain Nawaz. Likewise, Hussain had referred to the luxury apartments in London during interviews as "our flats" and not "my flats".

The five petitioners, one of whom is cricketer-turned- politician Imran Khan, have alleged that Sharif and his family made assets in London through money laundering.

Sharif has denied involvement in any illegal activity and rejected the charges of illegal transfer of any money from Pakistan.

Earlier, as the hearing in the Panamagate case resumed, Sharif's counsel submitted the premier's replies to questions posed by the Supreme Court a day earlier.

The Prime Minister's lawyer, Makhdoom Ali Khan, submitted details regarding various offices that Nawaz Sharif has held during his political career.

The top court had sought a timeline of the public offices Sharif, 64, has held during his entire political career in order to determine possible conflict of interests in overseeing his family business and officiating official responsibilities, Dawn newspaper reported.

The question became relevant in view of the allegations of a conflict of interest, especially when there was no money trail in form of banking transactions to establish investment of sale proceeds of the Gulf Steel Mills in Jeddah or Qatar, Justice Khosa observed earlier. He also wondered whether if Sharif had used his official position for the transfer of the money.

Explaining further, Justice Khosa had observed that it was in 1999 that the family of the Prime Minister went to Saudi Arabia and it seemed that a sum of 12 million dirham, proceeds from the sale of Gulf Steel, remained parked somewhere and was even available for investment in Jeddah after a gap of almost two decades.

The court also made it clear on Wednesday that it would not grant adjournment on any pretext and continue hearing the case day to day till its conclusion.

As owner of the Ittefaq Group, a leading Pakistani business conglomerate, he is also one of the country's wealthiest people.