ISLAMABAD – Supreme Court verdict in the case of Imran Khan may add to the worries of disqualified premier Nawaz Sharif because of the possibility of the PTI chief emerging as even stronger candidate for the slot of prime minister (in the 2018 election) after the apex court has given him a clean chit, say analysts.

“Imran Khan has set a difficult precedent for politicians. If he, despite not being a businessman, can produce 7,000 pieces of evidence in his defence about his past 30-year financial transactions, there are worries for the people doing business and politics simultaneously to keep and produce their financial record if and when sought by courts,” says Dr Rasool Bakhsh Raees of the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

“It will have far-reaching effects. Now any figure whether he or she belongs to the PPP, the ANP or any other party can be brought in the dock,” he says.

His views are corroborated by Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, who heads Islamabad-based political think-tank Pildat, and Dr Rashid Ahmed Khan, former head of Punjab University’s political science department.

“It may open more people to the accountability process as the judiciary will be emboldened after disqualifying two high-profile personalities (Nawaz Sharif and Jahangir Tareen) for their dubious financial matters. The only question will be if and when a plaintiff pursues a case steadfastly,” asserts Mr Mehboob, adding that the appearance of Chaudhrys of Gujrat before the National Accountability Bureau should be seen in the same perspective.

Prof Rashid says the judiciary for the sake of its credibility may take big decisions like the ones it took in the cases of Mr Sharif and Mr Tareen.

The analysts also think that the verdict would further damage politicians’ perception among the masses.

“There’s general perception that the politicians are corrupt and engaged in shenanigans. And with this verdict the impression will deepen,” says Mr Mehboob.