Monitoring judge, time bar will not influence trial, SC says in detailed Panamagate review judgement

Published
14

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a 23-page detailed verdict on the review petitions filed against the July 28 Panama Papers verdict which resulted in Nawaz Sharif's disqualification.

The detailed verdict says that the petitions failed to point out any serious discrepancies or mistakes in the Panama Papers verdict and the facts entailing the disqualification of the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif could not be disputed by the petitioner.

It assures that the observations made in the Panama Papers verdict are of a temporary nature as the accountability court is free to make its own decisions based on the facts presented to it. The accountability court also has the right to dismiss unfounded evidence, the judgement says.

The directions to compete the trial within six months are to ensure the case is wrapped up in time and does not affect the trial court's decision, the detailed judgement says. It also says that the appointment of monitoring judge is nothing out of the ordinary and was done to prevent carelessness on part of the investigators.

The bench also dismissed the argument that there was no connection between captain Safdar and the Avenfield apartments as, it said, his spouse Maryam Nawaz "prima facie happens to be the beneficial owner" of the property.

The review petitions against the July 28 Panama Papers judgement filed by the Sharif family and Ishaq Dar had already been dismissed by the apex court via a short order in September.

The PML-N had expressed disappointment at the dismissal of the review petitions and feared that Sharif family will not get a fair trial in accountability court if a SC monitoring judge oversees the trial proceedings.

Meanwhile, by introducing an amendment, the party has ensured Nawaz's return as the party's president while it grapples with an internal power struggle between Nawaz and his younger sibling, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Opinion

Editorial

Muddled hierarchy
Updated 15 Nov, 2026

Muddled hierarchy

The jurisdiction of the two courts and a mechanism for settling disputes between them should be spelt out in law, not left to judges to fight over.
Growing crisis
15 Nov, 2026

Growing crisis

AN emergency can be judged by the speed with which it draws an effective response. The National Population Council’s...
Organised rackets
15 Nov, 2026

Organised rackets

ON the International Day against Transnational Organised Crime, observed today, Pakistan finds itself in a tight...
Referendum talk
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Referendum talk

Unless the PPP is deliberately using Sindh as a bargaining chip, it should issue a clarification with a clear, consistent position on new administrative units, not one tailored to protect its home turf.
Mineral wealth
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Mineral wealth

Minerals should not be presented as a solution to Pakistan’s long-term economic difficulties. The aim should be to build an industrial base rather than export raw materials.
Late diagnosis
14 Nov, 2026

Late diagnosis

AS we mark World Diabetes Day today, Pakistan faces a troubling question: how many people are living with diabetes...