In a setback to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Supreme Court today ordered to form a judicial commission to probe into the Panama Papers scandal involving corruption allegations against the family of the beleaguered premier.
Nawab Sharif is under pressure from Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf,(PTI) to step down.
A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali conducted the hearing in presence of several ministers,lawyers, senior PTI leaders and media, just a day before a rally proposed by Khan who had vowed to bring one million supporters to shut down Islamabad demanding Sharif’s ouster.
The Supreme Court heard several identical petitions by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and others to investigate charges of corruption against Sharif and his relatives.
Reacting to the court’s ruling, PTI chief Khan said the planned anti-government rally will now be marked as a day of thanksgiving in Islamabad. . PTI had announced the rally in Islamabad to force Sharif to resign for a fair probe into the scandal.
The Court has not banned the protest by PTI tomorrow in Islamabad.
According to the Panama Papers, three of Sharif’s four children – Maryam, Hasan and Hussain are owners of off-shore companies.