Pakistan Supreme Court’s verdict on Panama Case, if adverse, could force Prime Minister Nawaz Sahrif to quit.
The verdict is expected around 1.30 pm.
“The Panama Papers, which refer to a massive trove of secret documents leaked from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca — which specialised in helping the global elite stash wealth in offshore tax havens — had said that the PM's children, Maryam, Hasan and Hussain Nawaz ‘were owners or had the right to authorise transactions for several [offshore] companies,’” reported Dawn.
The Panama papers spotlighted family's wealth and business interests, and added fuel to the opposition’s demand for resignation of the Prime Minister.
Advertisement
Maryam Nawaz though had called the papers a sham, Sharif had to give up and order a judicial probe into the allegation.
Islamabad's Red Zone has been put on 'red alert', with around 1,500 police, Rangers and Frontier Constabulary personnel deployed in and around the area for security and to maintain peace, reported Dawn.
The Supreme Court is set to announce the final verdict in the case after proceedings were initiated on Jan 4, 2017, under a reconstituted five-judge bench
The ruling and its likely fallout have stirred the pot of rumours and fears.
Zahid Hussain, author and journalist in Pakistan, told the paper, “It’s going to be a very complicated ruling but I think one thing seems to be clear: the prime minister will not go unscathed, whatever the ruling may be. Because the onus was on his family to prove [the allegations wrong], and it seems that they have failed to do so. So I don’t know – I’m not sure that the court will go to the extreme of ultimate humiliation, to remove him from office.
Advertisement
It is generally believed the court may not disqualify the Prime Minister but it may pass comments which will bring moral pressure on Sharif to step down.
"I don't think he will be disqualified but his moral authority may be impacted," said Manzoor Wassan, a senior leader of opposition Pakistan People Party (PPP).
Asif Ali Zardari, the co-chairman of PPP, in an interview with a private TV channel asked Sharif to resign in case the decision went against him.
"We did not resist when the Supreme Court disqualified [then premier] Yousaf Raza Gilani. We chose another prime minister. Nawaz should do the same," said Zardari.
Zardari's handpicked Prime Minister Gilani stepped down in 2012 when the Supreme Court convicted him for disobeying court orders.
Whatever be the outcome of the verdict, Imran Khan, who heads the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, takes the credit for getting the case probed. The case was based on several identical petitions by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan and others about alleged illegal assets of Sharif's family in London.
PTI's Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Wednesday: "They tried their best to put off discussion on Panama Leaks. They wanted the issue to die on its own. But PTI kept pushing," he said, adding if the party had not pursued the case like it did, the issue would have been forgotten.”
Advertisement
Sharif's nemesis Imran Khan and his party announced it would launch a movement for the next election irrespective of the decision.
Meanwhile, in a series of tweets Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz, dispelled the impression that the premier was worried about the judgement.
"People love Nawaz Sharif. It is not about the prime minister speaking. It's what he's speaking. His narrative is constructive and about development and progress. Eyes forward, mind focused, heart ready...Game on, world ! Wazir-e-Azam Nawaz Sharif," one of her tweets said.
"His name is not in the Panama leaks. He has not committed any wrong. So he will be victorious," said Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique.
