A gathering storm

Today, Prime Minister and his family members are poised to challenge the revelations of JIT before the 3-member bench of Supreme Court of Pakistan. After the JIT submitted its final report on 10th July 2017 to the 3-member Supreme Court Bench, the latter asked the respondents and defendants to appear before the court on 17th July 2017, and come up with any reservations and objections against the findings of the JIT. Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and its family members were provided opportunity by the 5-member bench to give the money trail for the four apartments in London, which they failed to provide. In fact, there were contradictions in the statements of Prime Minister, his sons and PML-N leaders. Leaders of the opposition parties are all praise for the members of the JIT, and believe that the apex court would take the case to the logical conclusion.
In April, 2016, the Panama Papers had revealed that three of Prime Minister Sharif’s children owned offshore companies and assets not shown on his family’s wealth statement. The assets in question include four expensive flats in Park Lane, London. The JIT has recommended that at least 10 alleged corruption cases instituted against Nawaz Sharif and his family members by Pervez Musharraf, some of which were thoroughly probed and decided by different courts, should be reopened; and appeals, where necessary, be filed in view of the fresh, very strong and comprehensive documentary evidence, money trail and banking record. It suggested that an appeal should be filed in the Supreme Court against the LHC judgment. Besides other charges like tampering of Chaudhary Sugar Mills record, forgery of Maryam Nawaz’ affidavit and perjury etc, the JIT finds Nawaz Sharif and his three children – Maryam, Hussain and Hassan – to have assets beyond known means of income.
There is a perception that the situation is of PM’s own making. Had the PML-N government agreed with opposition parties on the terms of reference and formed a commission to inquire into the Panama Leaks findings, Prime Minister and his family members would not have faced interrogations by the JIT. The verdict of the 5-member bench was split 3-2, with two dissenting notes from Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Gulzar Ahmed stating that PM is no more sadiq and ameen. Anyhow, battle lines have been drawn. On one side are main political parties PPP, PTI, MQMP, PML-Q and Supreme Court Bar Council apart from other bars and lawyers associations. On the other are PML-N and its allies Maulana Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) and Mahmood Khan Achakzai (PkMAP). Both these leaders are scions of those who had opposed partition of India and creation of Pakistan.
Despite being allies, they have been opposing policies of the PML-N vis-à-vis repatriation of Afghan refugees and merging FATA with the KP. Briefing journalists after the APC on 7th January 2016, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the KP political parties had serious reservations about the CPEC and if these were not addressed they would take a right step in this regard. “There is no indication about laying gas pipeline for industries and power lines, fibre optic and railway line. This shows that this is just a road, not corridor,” argued Fazl. In May 2017, Maulana Fazlur Rehman opposed the FATA reforms bill moved by the PML-N in the National Assembly. Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai said he would not allow anyone to harass Afghan refugees in their own land, “because it also belongs to them”, adding they can live there without fear and trepidation.