Announcing a short order in response to review pleas of the Sharif family seeking revisiting the Panama Papers case verdict that disqualified Nawaz Sharif from holding public office as prime minister, the Supreme Court on Friday pronounced the dismissal of pleas. "For reasons to be recorded later - all these review petitions are dismissed," said Justice Sardar Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, who headed the five-member bench that heard the review pleas of Nawaz Sharif Sharif, Hussain Nawaz, Hassan Nawaz, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Captain Muhammad Safdar (retired) and incumbent Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar.
On July 28, a five-member larger bench led by Justice Sardar Asif Saeed Khan Khosa had declared Nawaz Sharif disqualified from the Parliament in response to pleas of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and others and had asked the National Accountability Bureau to file references against the Sharif family before accountability court within six weeks.
Later, challenging his disqualification from the Parliament, Nawaz Sharif had urged the court that the decision announced by a five-member larger bench on July 28 should have been passed by a three-member implementation bench as Justice Sardar Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Gulzar Ahmed had no jurisdiction after writing their dissenting notes in the matter on April 20 last.
During the course of proceedings, Salman Akram Raja appeared on behalf of the children of Nawaz Sharif before the five-member larger bench, saying Captain Safdar had nothing to do with the Mayfair properties belonging to the Sharif family in London.
However, all the members of the bench assured the counsel for the Sharif's children that no prejudice would be allowed in trial of the Sharif family before the accountability court. Justice Sardar Asif Saeed Khan Khosa asked him to deal with the constitutionality of the case. Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan observed that it would not be proper to give any observation about Captain Safdar at this stage. Addressing Salman Akram Raja, he said: "You can produce any record before the trial court to discredit the testimony of the Joint Investigation Team members."
Similarly, Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh while responding to the arguments of Raja over the issue of final judgment by a three- or a five-members bench said, "Should we file an affidavit that the Panama Papers case verdict is of a five-member larger bench."
Justice Sheikh further observed, "Counsel, we have taken oath under the Constitution to protect rights of the people of Pakistan so we will not allow prejudice against any party to the case." Soon after the lawyer of Nawaz Sharif's children concluded his arguments in the case, President Awami Muslim League Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad appeared before the bench, saying the Hudabiya Paper Mills case is the 'mother of all crimes' of the Sharif family.
He contended that chairman National Accountability Bureau failed to carry out court's directives to file appeal against the Lahore High Court verdict in the Mills case within seven days, alleging that the slots of heads of NAB, NEPRA, FBR and SECP are being filled at the sweet will of rulers.
Justice Khosa asked from Prosecutor General NAB Waqas Qadeer Dar about the status of the appeal in the Hudabiya Paper Mills case against the Lahore High Court verdict, to which Dar submitted that during Executive Board Meeting (EBM) of the NAB it had been decided to file an appeal in the matter shortly. Later, the court said in its order that Waqas Qadeer Dar has undertaken that the requisite appeal shall be filed before the apex court within the next seven days without any failure and disposed of Sheikh Rashid's petition.