LAHORE: The PTI and PAT have challenged the ‘defence’ of the prime minister and his family in Panama leaks at the cost of public money.

Two identical petitions filed by Javed Badar and Ishtiaq Chaudhry on behalf of the two parties pleaded that the federal government was issuing advertisement to various newspapers explaining allegations levelled against the Sharif family in Panama leaks.

The petitioners submitted that public money was being wasted to defend a ruling family putting burden on the national exchequer. They maintained the PM should have given the ads from his pocket instead of using state resources as the ruling party had no moral grounds to spend public money on such explanatory ads.

They requested the LHC to order the PM to deposit the ads amount with the public exchequer.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2016