Islamabad: A five-member bench of the Pakistani Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali on Friday adjourned to the first week of January 2017 the hearing of Panama leaks case related to allegations against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his children.
Jamali is retiring this month and Justice Saqib Nisar, the incoming new chief justice, will take over on December 31.
Consequently, the bench will be reconstituted by the next chief justice to hear the case afresh, Jamali said.
Before adjourning the proceedings, the bench noted the opinion of the parties regarding the proposal to form an inquiry commission about the allegations.
The counsels of the prime minister and his children told the bench that whatever decision was made by the court it would be acceptable to their clients.
Naeem Bokhari, counsel of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), one of the four petitioners in the case, opposed the creation of an inquiry commission and said the bench should hear and decide the case. Bokhari said the PTI would boycott a commission if it was formed to probe the scam.
Chief Justice Jamali observed that the court does not need either party’s approval to form a commission.
Addressing a news conference, PTI chairman Imran Khan expressed “disappointment” over setback to hopes for an early verdict in the case.
On the proposed formation of an inquiry commission, Khan said a decision is up to the new chief justice but “in our eyes the time for that has passed as provision of evidence has nearly ended.”
“We will not let this case be forgotten ... it will not die down,” the PTI chairman said.
Government representatives, while talking to reporters, lashed the PTI leadership over their counsel’s threat to boycott a probe commission.
