ISLAMABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has left the Punjab House for the judicial academy where he will appear before the Panama case Joint Investigation Team (JIT).
The chief minister will arrive at the judicial academy at approximately 11am and according to reports is being driven there by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. 2,547 police officers have been deployed along the route of the judicial academy.
The JIT is probing the global money trail of the Sharif family in light of the Supreme Court’s April 20 judgment in the Panama Papers case.
Earlier a meeting was held at the Punjab House where the chief minister was advised by PML-N leaders including Chaudhry Nisar prior to his appearance before the JIT.
The chief minister arrived in the federal capital on Friday evening and said the conspiracy elements are once again indulging in politics of lies.
“I don’t have time to respond to the opposition’s baseless allegations and will serve the people till my last breath,†said the Punjab chief minister.
Engaging in falsehood will not benefit their negative politics, he said, adding that people have never voted for those who level false allegations.
In a recent report to the court, the JIT had complained of ‘impediments’ in its investigation by several government departments.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appeared before the JIT to answer their queries.
After the session, he said that every penny earned by his family is accounted for, adding that these are assets related to his private family wealth and have nothing to do with public funds.
He also rejected all allegations of wrongdoing and corruption hurled by his opponents.
The JIT has summoned the premier’s elder son, Hussain Nawaz, five times and his younger son, Hassan, twice.
The Supreme Court began investigating the Sharif family late last year after the main political parties failed to agree on a committee to probe the Panama Papers leaks, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan threatened mass protests and to ‘shut down Islamabad’.
The JIT — formed on May 6 — was given 60 days to complete its probe into the Sharif family’s international financial dealings and submit its report to the Supreme Court’s special implementation bench overseeing its proceedings.
The JIT team is headed by Federal Investigation Agency Additional Director Wajid Zia, and includes members from Inter-Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, State Bank of Pakistan and the National Accountability Bureau.
