All eyes are on the apex court that will announce its eagerly-awaited verdict this afternoon. Authorities have beefed up security in the federal capital, especially at the Supreme Court and adjoining areas, deploying Rangers with police.
Nearly one year after the Panama Papers scandal surfaced, the verdict was reserved by the court on 23rd February this year after conducting 136 hearings.
The case was heard by a five-member bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa.
As the countdown to the decision begins, the three main political parties — the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — have finalised their strategies post-Panamagate.
The PM chaired a party meeting at the Prime Minister House where he appeared to be unfazed.
The Prime Minister has asked PML-N workers not to come to the Supreme Court today for hearing the verdict. In a statement, he said irrelevant people should refrain from entering the court’s premises.
PTI chairman Imran Khan expressed hope that the prime minister would not be given a ‘clean chit’ in the verdict and would be penalised in some way for “hiding his and his family’s assets off shore”.
The PTI has announced a public meeting at the Parade Ground following the apex court’s decision.
The PPP leadership met at the federal capital where party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari said he did not expect much from the verdict.
PPP spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said his party would decide its future line of action after the verdict announcement.