All departments have denied the allegations of non-cooperation and tempering of records leveled by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT),
Probing the Sharif family’s offshore wealth in line with the top court’s April 20 verdict in Panama Papers case, the Supreme Court was informed on Friday.
In a four-page response to the directives of the apex court regarding investigation of the allegations, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Ashtar Ausaf Ali apprised the court of replies made by Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, National Accountability Bureau, Federal Board of Revenue, Law Ministry, Intelligence Bureau and the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.
“All those institutions have vehemently denied allegations of the JIT. Decisions on the application filed by the JIT cannot be given without the named parties being put to notice and recording of evidence,” the AGP said in his response, suggesting the exercise may consume considerable time and the focus of the matter in issues is likely to be diverted.
In its response, the IB denied allegations of hacking of Facebook accounts of JIT member Bilal Rasool or his family. “Low downs on member of the JIT was done under the standard operating procedures.
Thus the allegations leveled against IB were vehemently denied,” the institution maintained.
Regarding the hate speech made by former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Senator Nehal Hashmi against judiciary, the AGP said: “PML-N and the prime minister of Pakistan took immediate steps shows that no malafide is involved in the matter. Hashmi has been stripped off his membership of the party. An FIR has also been lodged against him.”
Meanwhile, the top court’s three-judge implementation bench expressed serious concern over delay in filing reply to the show-cause notice issued to Hashmi over his diatribe against judiciary and members of Panamagate JIT. Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan in his remarks said Hashmi was just playing with the court.
Later, the bench allowed the lawmaker’s to submit his reply till next Friday.
