ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family to submit documents regarding the distribution of properties after the demise of Mian Muhammad Sharif in 2004.
A five-judge bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa asked the premier’s counsel to submit documents regarding the settlement of Sharif properties.
During the hearing, Maryam Nawaz’s counsel Shahid Hamid stated that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf submitted forged documents to establish that the premier’s daughter is the beneficial owner of London flats. The signatures do not match, he upheld.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan, however, observed that forgery is a question of fact. He said there are two aspects to the issue, one being Maryam’s dependency on her father and second that she acted as the “front man” for PM Nawaz and all properties belong to him.
Another member of the bench, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, observed that whether or not Maryam is dependent on PM Nawaz is a disputed question, thus the top court cannot adjudicate the matter as it requires recording of evidences.
Meanwhile, Hamid submitted that a similar matter is pending in the Election Commission of Pakistan.
On Tuesday, Maryam disowned a signature – purported to be hers – on a document, which shows that she is the beneficial owner of the Sharif family’s properties in London as revealed by the Panama Papers in April 2016. Maryam, through her counsel Shahid Hamid, submitted a reply before the Supreme Court’s five-judge larger bench hearing the Panamagate case. In the reply, she denied two key evidences the PTI presented to establish that she is the beneficial owner of the London flats.
