National News

PESHAWAR July 11 (APP): Legal experts and politicians of Khyber
Pakthunkhwa Tuesday termed the demand of opposition parties for
the prime minister’s resignation following the joint investigation
report (JIT) in the Panama Papers case irrational and unjustified.
Talking to APP, legal expert Mian Mohibullah Khan Kakakhel said
Nawaz Sharif was an elected prime minister of Pakistan and demanding
his resignation on the basis of JIT report, which was yet to be
cross-examined in the apex court, was illogical.
The JIT’s mandate, he said, was only to collect evidence and
carry out investigations on 13 points as per the Supreme Court’s
instructions, but it could not disqualify an elected prime minister.
Leagally, the prime minister was not bound to tender resignation
following the JIT report, he added.
The lawyer said the Sharif family had the constitutional right
to challenge the JIT report in courts, including the Supreme Court,
where its findings could be verified.
Kakakhel said the Supreme Court was already dealing with the case
and there should be no speculations on it.
KP’s former Additional Advocate General Esa Khan said it was
legally incorrect to demand the prime minister’s resignation on the
basis of JIT report as it was yet to be cross-examined by the counsel of petitioners and respondents’ in the court.
PML-N Member of KP Assembly Saleh Muhammad criticized the opposition
for demanding the prime minister’s resignation. The appearance of prime minister and his family members before the JIT had showed his commitment to uphold the supremacy of law and constitution, he added.
He said the Sharif family had set an example for others to emulate
and present themselves for accountability.
The prime minister, his sons, daughter, brother and other family
members had extended full cooperation to the JIT despite reservations,
he added.
The MPA said the prime minister had foiled the designs of some
elements, who wanted to destabilize democracy by pitching state
institutions against one another.
He said the ‘political orphans’, who wanted to come into power
through back door would not succeed and face defeat in the court of
people in 2018. They were doing politics over non-issues as
they were scared of the PML-N government’s popularity because of its
record development works, he added.
Saleh said the opponents knew that if the Nawaz Sharif government
completed its five-year term, then their politics would come to an end forever.
He said it was Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who made Pakistan a nuclear
power in 1998 and brought economic stability, besides constructing roads, highways and motorways, He was now launching projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor for speedy development of the country,
he added