ISLAMABAD: If former Prime Ministers’ Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Yusuf Raza Gillani can appear in the Supreme Court, then Nawaz Sharif will also have to appear in the apex court when summoned.
The views were expressed by former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry during ARY News program Powerplay hosted by Arshad Sharif.
“If Gilani and the great Bhutto can be present, then Prime Minister will have have to appear in court,” said Chaudhry when asked if he foresees Sharif appearing in the witness box.
Chaudhry said that the case of Panama Papers is not by Imran Khan but the two hundred million people of Pakistan. He further said that the decision against the Sharif family will not be based on the trust deed in 2006, but rather the transactions of the 1980s and 90s.
“It is your responsibility as a Prime Minister and an individual to tell where these (properties) came from,” he said.
He said that the address in the Parliament has constitutional status and cannot be challenged for legal errors in court. Therefore, the address of the Prime Minister on Panama Papers can be presented as evidence as well.
Chaudhry, who has now ventured into politics, said that the decision against Nawaz Sharif will be based on merit as the courts have strengthened now. The circumstances have changed and no one will be able to attack the Supreme Court.
He showed optimism that documentary evidence was already present in the courts, and there were several precedents when the court heard cases and was presented evidence based on news reports.
He said that the children of Nawaz Sharif were minors when the purchases took place, and now the onus was on the Prime Minister to absolve himself of the charges.
