News Desk |
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar is examining the cases of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan and the Secretary-General Jahangir Tareen (JT) closely as the twin-verdict is due soon. Both the defendants face a mounting challenge in the ongoing disqualification battle in the Apex Court of Pakistan. The defendants face the charges over the non-disclosure of assets, the existence of offshore companies and foreign funding for the party.
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The Panama Scandal and the investigation into the corruption allegations and formation of JIT persuaded the House of Nawaz and their close aides to dismantle the collective effort of PTI to down Nawaz Clan which led to PML-N’s outspoken loyalist, Hanif Abbasi filing the petition against Imran Khan and Jahangir Tareen.
Imran originally claimed that his ex-wife Jemima Khan had gifted him the land. In his wealth statements filed with FBR records, he stated that he had purchased the land from Jemima at 1.45 lac per kanal in 2011.
The impression from media reporting reflected that Imran Khan was on the verge of disqualification. The media widely reported that Imran Khan has failed to declare the relevant documents and there are many discrepancies in his money trail. Imran seemed to have left the honorable judges perplexed with his U-turns on his initial statements.
Imran originally claimed that his ex-wife Jemima Khan had gifted him the land. In his wealth statements filed with FBR records, he stated that he had purchased the land from Jemima at 1.45 lac per kanal in 2011.
Though Imran Khan had publically declared his money trail on Twitter and Facebook, it didn’t stop the media from comparing Imran’s case with Nawaz’s despite the fact that former never held any public office.
As Imran continued to provide more proof, Abbasi’s stance kept on changing. Sources reveal that Mr. Abbasi has failed to convince the court on the charges he leveled against Imran Khan. However, the media has continued its tirade against Khan & allegedly misreported facts at the behest of cronies, which has kept the public confused.
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Jahangir Tareen is accused of concealing the facts submitted in the general elections of 2013 and the by-elections of 2015.
PML-N seeks to disqualify Tareen for the same reasons as Khan. However, the defendant denied the claims and argued that the funds were a gift to his children and were lawfully transferred from the country.
PTI is also accused of non-disclosure of agriculture land on lease, and the three-member bench has observed the difference between the details submitted by the lawmaker in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the election nomination papers. Tareen is aware of the fact that the leased land is not his property and there was no compulsion to show it in the nomination papers. However, since he was earning revenue on it, he declared the income and paid taxes as per law. Resultantly, the issue of misdeclaration in nomination papers has no grounds.
Sources in Islamabad and gossipmongers believe that the probability of Tareen facing disqualification is very high. However, Imran Khan getting disqualified is still unlikely.
The additional charges on Tareen include insider trading and deliberately inflicting the loss on others through his actions.
Sources in Islamabad and gossipmongers believe that the probability of Tareen facing disqualification is very high. However, Imran Khan getting disqualified is still unlikely.
If Tareen gets disqualified it will make the already dramatic political landscape even more interesting.
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There has always been speculation that Tareen funds PTI’ social media team and other administrative and legal expenditures so if Tareen goes, it may result in an uphill task for the party.
It may affect the political structure and strategy of PTI. It can also dent the administrative ability of the party if funding dries up. The liquidity crisis may also reduce the operational capability of the party to conduct Jalsas and Dharnas.
As the story plays out, it will be interesting to see whether this has implications on PTI’s future as a political force or not.