ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has rejected the option of a commission on the Panama Papers case and said his party will pursue the matter till its logical conclusion.

“I tell Nawaz Sharif and Khawaja Asif that I will not let this case be consigned to oblivion,” he said at a press conference at his Banigala residence on Friday.

Mr Khan hoped that the Supreme Court would not form any commission on the Panama Papers leaks as the nation wanted that the case should be decided by the apex court. “I have got feedback of people and everyone was of the view that Supreme Court should decide the case,” he added.

According to the PTI chief, people are in favour of a commission only if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resigns first.

Criticising Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement in parliament that people would soon forget the Panama Papers scam, the PTI chief said: “I am making it clear to Nawaz Sharif and his party that I will take this case to its logical conclusion.”

He said he would pursue this case to its logical end so that corrupt and powerful people in the country could be exposed.

The PTI chief said it was his party’s desire that the case of Panama Papers should have been tried on a day-to-day basis. “We also wanted an early decision on the case.”

Mr Khan hoped that the Supreme Court would start proceedings of the case in the first week of January 2017.

He said this case would decide the fate of the country and its people.

He said the name of Maryam Nawaz had been on display on the website of International Consortium of Investigative Journalists as a beneficiary of the London’s property for seven months, but the ruling party had no courage to challenge it with the consortium.

He alleged that the prime minister had made money through illegal means in the country and sent it abroad in the name of his children.

Mr Khan said Mr Sharif had assured parliament that he had evidence and money trail of his family’s offshore investment. However, his lawyer had denied any such evidence in the court. “We all know that Hawala and Hundi transactions are made on slips and that has been accepted by the lawyer of Nawaz Sharif,” he said. The PTI chief said rulers were trying to befool people, adding that they would have not accepted their offshore properties if they had not been exposed in Panama Papers. “But now they are answerable to the Supreme Court,” he added.

Referring to a statement of President Mamnoon Hussain given on Friday regarding corruption in the country, Mr Khan said: “Whatever the president said regarding the corrupt was about the prime minister.”

Answering a question about the letter of a Qatri prince, he said the government itself did not know what damage it had done to its stance in the court. In reply to a question about the incoming chief justice of Pakistan, he said he congratulated Justice Saqib Nisar on his appointment as the chief justice. He said the new chief justice would have a heavy responsibility.

The PTI chairman said he would respect all decisions of the Supreme Court.

He said that because he was engaged in the Panamagate case in the apex court he could not reach out to the public. “Now we will go to the people as well,” he added.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2016