ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of trying to escape from the Panama Papers case in the Supreme Court.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, he said the prime minister was trying to take advantage of the constitutional cover for his speech in parliament on May 16 last year.

The PTI chief said Mr Sharif had earlier claimed that he would present himself for accountability and that the maintainability of the Panama Papers case would be challenged. But, he added, Mr Sharif’s lawyer asked the Supreme Court on Monday that no action could be taken on the prime minister’s speech in parliament under the Constitution.

Terming it a U-turn by the prime minister, he said Mr Sharif had lost his moral ground which was the basic strength of the head of government in a democracy.

On the other hand, leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have rejected the allegation that the prime minister has challenged the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and maintainability of the case.

Speaking at a press conference later, prime minister’s adviser Musaddiq Malik and Daniyal Aziz rejected Mr Khan’s claim and said Mr Sharif had not sought any such immunity in the court.

Mr Sharif’s lawyer reportedly told the court on Monday that no action could be taken on the prime minister’s speech under Article 66 of the Constitution.

The PTI chief said a report of BBC Urdu had revealed details of the Sharif family’s four flats in London. He asked why the prime minister had not challenged the BBC report.

Mr Khan claimed that it had now been proved that Maryam Nawaz, daughter of the prime minister, was the owner of London flats.

He said if Mr Sharif was innocent he should sue BBC Urdu for its report and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) for releasing the Pamana Papers.

“I am always blamed for U-turns, but today the prime minister took the biggest U-turn of the country’s history,” he said.

However, the PML-N leaders rejected the BBC Urdu report and said the government would definitely give its response on it.

Daniyal Aziz said the BBC report wrongly claimed that the Sharif family had owned firms Nescom and Nielson since 1995. “Hussain Nawaz acquired London flats and both companies in 2006,” he added.

Musaddiq Malik said that before 2006 both companies were owned by the Qatari family and Hussain Nawaz got them in 2006.

Mr Aziz said the prime minister had presented himself for accountability.

He criticised the PTI chief and claimed that he himself challenged the maintainability of the assets case being tried against him in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). “Today Imran Khan tendered an apology in the ECP,” he added.

The PML-N leader said the Panama Papers did not have the name of PM Sharif. He said details of the Qatari prince’s letter would be presented before the Supreme Court in coming hearings.

Published in Dawn January 17th, 2017