Apex Court refuses to open Panama JIT’s Volume 10, disposes of petition on basis of withdrawal

ISLAMABAD, Aug 22 (SABAH): The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) has disposed of the application of the Broadsheet Company regarding the opening of Volume 10 of the Panama Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report on the basis of withdrawal.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Shahid Waheed conducted hearing of the Broadsheet Company’s application regarding access to Volume 10 of the Panama JIT.

As the hearing started, Justice Shahid Waheed asked from the petitioner’s lawyer Sardar Latif Khan Khosa that what was the status of arbitration procedure?

Broadsheet Company’s lawyer Latif Khosa argued what was there in the Panama JIT Volume 10 to keep it a secret? Under Article 19-A, the people have the right to see how the country was looted.

Justice Athar Minallah asked whether five-member bench of the Supreme Court had given any observation about Volume 10 in the Panama judgment?

“We will not go to this side because the elected Prime Minister of the country was removed in the Panama case, you wanted Volume 10 to proceed in the arbitration court. The matter has been settled there and now your application has become infructuous,” he remarked.

Additional Attorney General Chaudhry Amir Rehman said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) paid 28 million dollars to broadsheet in 2020.

Addressing Latif Khosa, Justice Athar Minallah said, “Do you want the Panama verdict to be reconsidered?” Lawyer Latif Khosa said, “I don’t want to go into the Panama judgment.” Khosa is a broadsheet representative, not a representative of the people of Pakistan, Justice Athar reiterated.

Justice Athar Minallah asked Latif Khosa instead of talking about politics, be limited to legal points, “you have come here to represent the broadsheet company and not the people of Pakistan.”

“So it would be better if you did not speak on behalf of the people of Pakistan. The Supreme Court also mentioned the Panama JIT Volume 10 in its judgment or do you want to say that the five-member Panama Bench of the Supreme Court favored someone,” he remarked. To this, Latif Khosa argued before the court that he just wanted the facts to come before the public.

Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said the English word is “Relax”, Khosa Sahib, keep it for your sake, the discussion going on in the court is out of the case.

To this, Latif Khosa said the best minds were present in the Supreme Court, whose responsibility was to run the country according to the constitution. He further said he does not love anything more than country. The Chief Justice replied each and everyone has love for the country. Later the court disposed of the request on the basis of withdrawal.