ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has started mulling over a strategy to deal with a fresh allegation levelled against his family by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan that the Sharif brothers offered him Rs10 billion for not taking up the Panama Papers issue.

Mr Sharif chaired a meeting at the Prime Minister House here on Thursday during which he consulted with his closed aides and legal team about the fresh allegation and considered the option of going to court against Mr Khan.

“The meeting considered different options, including taking Mr Khan to court, so that people could know about the facts,” Adviser to the PM on Legal Affairs Barrister Zafarullah told Dawn.

He said the prime minister was briefed on the fresh allegation and the legal team reviewed different angles of it.

Although there was no official announcement by the PM House on the meeting, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb while talking to Dawn confirmed that a PM-led meeting was held. However, she said she did not know about the content of the meeting.

The PTI chief’s new allegation has triggered a debate in the political circles of the country.

According to media reports, during the meeting the prime minister categorically rejected the fresh allegation of Mr Khan against his family.

The participants of the meeting were of the opinion that if the PTI chief was taken to court he could be disqualified for telling a lie under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.

Some participants of the meeting were of the view that by levelling the fresh allegation Mr Khan was trying to get political mileage. They called for him to disclose the name of the person who, according to him, had offered him money on behalf of the Sharif brothers.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah has urged Mr Khan to disclose the name of the person who has offered him the money on behalf of the Sharif brothers. He expressed the fear that if the PTI chief failed to do so his political career would be at stake.

In a statement, Mr Shah said it could be one of the biggest scandals in the country and it must be investigated at the appropriate forum.

The opposition leader said Mr Khan would be the most irresponsible political leader of the country if he failed to prove his claim.

He said it was quite easy to discuss such type of things with friends, but when such statements were made publicly they had serious impact on politics.

Mr Shah said offering bribe was one of the biggest crimes in democratic set-ups. “Offering bribe is a bigger crime than compromising on morality,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2017