ISLAMABAD, JAN 04, (DNA) – A new five-member larger bench of the apex court headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa will resume fresh hearing of the Panama Leaks case today (Wednesday).

In the latest development in the case, the Prime Minister and his children have changed their legal team. The Prime Minister will now be represented by Makhdoom Ali Khan, while Maryam Nawaz and Captain Safdar will be represented by Shahid Hamid. Salman Akram Raja will represent Hussain Nawaz.

On December 9, a five-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by former Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, had adjourned hearing until the first week of January 2017 after the PTI objected to the formation of a commission proposed by the bench, and stressed that the said bench should decide the matter in the interest of justice.

On Saturday, the new CJ Mian Saqib Nisar constituted a new five-member larger bench of headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, to hear the case.

Speaking in Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the change of lawyers from the premier and his family a day before the hearing was a delaying tactic, as the new lawyers would now request for more time from the judges to prepare for the case.

Earlier, PTI chairman Imran Khan said his party had dug out several documents which revealed that Maryam Nawaz was the actual owner of the Mayfair Flats.

“Maryam was beneficiary for two companies, and those companies owned the Mayfair flats,” he said in a press conference held on Tuesday which he claimed would explain the documents PTI had submitted in the Supreme Court.

“In 2004, Mayfair flats were worth Rs 4 billion. Where did Maryam Nawaz acquire such enormous wealth from?” questioned the PTI chairman.

Imran Khan said he had heard in the Supreme Court that Maryam Nawaz had received a car worth Rs20 million as a gift. He added that everyone knows that the letter from Qatar was fake. The PTI chairman alleged that the Prime Minister had lied in the Supreme Court and the Parliament which was tantamount to perjury.

‘Focus on legal battle rather than creating media hype’

Responding to the PTI chief’s allegations while addressing a press conference, Chairman Privatization Commission Muhammad Zubair said if the PTI chief had any evidence then he should share it with the courts rather than creating media hype.

”Our case is watertight and they (Sharif family) have all relevant documents and they have no fear. PM’s family had always maintained its integrity in business affairs, which would be proved before the court as well,” he said.

Zubair said Imran Khan had always targeted the country’s institutions, adding that the latest allegations were merely an attempt to pressurise the institutions.

He advised the PTI chief to focus on the legal battle rather than creating hype in media.

The Privatization Commission chief claimed that the PTI’s support among people was gradually decreasing and it was evident from the results of all by-elections.

He said since the PM’s name was neither included in the Panama Papers nor in flats, money laundering and illegal assets, they would plead in the court to remove his (PM) name from the case.

“Imran Khan released documents to media which was based on the story of The Guardian newspaper. The documents had already been rejected by MINERVA,” he added.

Zubair said they had full confidence in the judiciary, Election Commission of Pakistan and other state institutions.=DNA

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