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ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq has once again asked the Supreme Court to strictly deal with all the 436 Pakistanis named in the Panama Papers, like it did with former premier Nawaz Sharif.
In an 18-page reply, Mr Haq requested the Supreme Court to form a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the matter and submit a report.
The JIT should comprise representatives from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), he said.
The reply was filed in response to earlier directions of the Supreme Court when on June 9, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, who presided over a two-judge bench, had put nine questions to Muhammad Ishtiaq Ahmed Raja, a lawyer representing the JI chief.
Among other questions, Justice Masood asked whether the petitioner approached SBP, FBR, FIA, the anti-corruption department, etc. against the people named in the Panama Papers.
The JI reply stated that after the Panama Papers surfaced, different governments worldwide and prosecutors started investigations, but Pakistan’s institutions ignored them.
Some countries that initiated investigations included France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands.
The party argued that the working of the statutory bodies and institutions would not be curtailed or hampered in any manner after the formation of a JIT.
In fact, these institutions would be the information providers to the commission and might be some officers of these institutions be included as a member of the commission or the JIT.
It asked the top court to accept the reply.
Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2023
