ISLAMABAD, May 3 (APP): The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned hearing of the petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and Secretary General Jahangir Tareen for not disclosing their assets and offshore companies before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) till Thursday.A three-member SC bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP)Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and JusticeFaisal Arab heard the case.The CJP asked leaders of both the PTI and the PML-N not to giveany comment regarding the case proceedings outside the court premises.“This tradition should be stopped.” He, however, observed that counselfor parties could address the media to explain their points of view.The CJP also rejected the PML-N leader’s plea to form a largerbench for the hearing of the case seeking disqualification of ImranKhan and Jahangir Tareen for not disclosing their assets.“There is no need to form a larger bench in this case,” CJP Nisarremarked. “We don’t want to affect ordinary litigants’ cases by forminga larger bench.”During the course of proceedings, Hanif Abbasi’s counsel AkramSheikh advocate apprised the court that Imran Khan formed an offshore company called Niazi Service Limited in 1982, but did not disclose the same in his nomination papers submitted with the ECP or tax documents.The PTI chief gave four contradictory versions regarding thepurchase of 300-kanal plot in Bani Gala, he claimed.Sheikh also alleged that Imran Khan had started paying incometax in 1982, but he did not provide details regarding irregularitiesworth 170,000 pounds sterling in his 1983 tax returns.Upon this, the CJP asked as to whether it was dishonesty to hideproperty. “Perhaps it can be accepted that Niazi Services is anoff-shore company. It there any prohibition on Pakistanis acquiringproperty abroad?” he asked.Akram Sheikh replied that there was no ban on acquiring propertyabroad, but the same must be declared.He claimed that the details pertaining to the funds received bythe PTI from the US were available on the website of US Department of Justice.
The PTI received $1m in political funding from the US in 2015,while it had already obtained some $56m via Abraaj Company’s Tariq Shafi, but no reasons or details of the same were disclosed, he added.The PTI, he claimed, had established an agent company to receivefunding from Pakistanis residing in America and it had also written aletter to its political agents in that country seeking their cooperation.But, Imran Khan had denied accepting foreign funding before the ECPand, therefore, he should be disqualified under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution, he added.Sheikh said,”On several occasions, the PTI chief has admitted theestablishment of Niazi Services Limited.” Imran Khan, however, hadfailed to mention the name of the company in the list of assets submitted with the ECP, he added.Sheikh said Niazi Services Limited was closed down in 2015, but itwas not mentioned in tax or election documents by Imran Khan uo to that year. Imran Khan was running his party from foreign funding, he alleged.He further alleged that Imran Khan was not loyal to Pakistan as hehe received $2.3 million from 2010 to 2013 in foreign funding in the name of his party, which was prohibited under the Political Parties Order 2002 and Article 17 of the Constitution.The CJP observed that if necessary the interior ministry would alsobe made a party to the part and the NAB officials would also be summoned.Akram Sheikh will continue his arguments on Thursday.