SC to issue verdict of Imran, Tareen cases together: CJP

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Saqib Nisar said on Wednesday that ruling in disqualification cases against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Secretary General Jahangir Tareen will be issued at once.

A three-member apex bench – headed by the CJP and comprising Justice Umar Atta Bandial and Justice Faisal Arab – resumed hearing of a petition filed by PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi which seeks the disqualification of Tareen and Imran Khan over the alleged non-disclosure of assets, existence of offshore companies, as well as receiving foreign funding for PTI.

In today’s proceedings into Jahangir Tareen’s case, the PTI leader’s lawyer Advocate Sikander Mohmand submitted more revenue records of his client.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, the counsel representing Tareen told the apex bench that his client had submitted all the records pertaining to 18,566 acres of land which, he maintained, Tareen acquired through a lease.

However, the court reminded the lawyer that his client has yet to submit khusrabandi and malia records which the bench had sought during a hearing on Oct 5 along with other relevant revenue records showing how much money Tareen had paid to the lessor to get lease of 18,566 acres of land in 2010 as well as evidence proving that he had earned around Rs1.6 billion agriculture income from the said land.

The lawyer told the court that records of the tax paid by Tareen on water and electricity have been furnished before the court. He maintained that the owner of the land — and not his client — was liable to pay taxes on the land.

On Monday Imran Khan submitted additional documents before the court, seeking to provide a money trail of nearly 100,000 pounds that the SC had raised questions over.

In the fresh documents, Imran Khan backtracked on his earlier position that approximately 99,000 pounds had been spent on legal fees and associated costs. Instead, he had claimed that the amount had only initially been retained in the bank account of Niazi Services Ltd but parts of it were later remitted to him by the company.

The next day, Supreme Court noted that the fresh money trail submitted by Imran Khan was inconsistent.

The chief justice noted that Imran had not yet submitted any record before the court to help determine whether or not the amount had been spent on legal fees.

Furthermore, Justice Bandial added that no record had been provided regarding 27,000 pounds out of the total sum.