LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Khalid Mehmood Khan on Friday postponed till February 3 the proceedings of a petition challenging the alleged foreign assets maintained by 64 known personalities of Pakistan including incumbent and former rulers and their family members, two ex-chief justices, lawyers, a property tycoon and others.
The judge had already issued notices and had sought reply on this petition. Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafri had filed this petition originally in 1996 against 26 political leaders and later amended it and added more names of the politicians. He had alleged that these politicians transferred at least $300,000 million to foreign countries through money laundering.
He said by doing this, the politicians caused a huge loss to the national exchequer, adding that these politicians had not yet submitted in the court their affidavits about the money laundering despite repeated court orders.
He alleged that due to depositing and investing money in other countries, the country was facing acute financial crises and return of
their money could give some relief to the people.
He also submitted that the politicians have stashed away billions of rupees abroad, throwing the country in dire financial crisis. He submitted that shifting of Pakistan’s assets to the foreign banks increased unemployment, price-hike and poverty in the country.
Jafri said that due to the corrupt practices and misconduct of most of the respondents, Pakistan had become a laughing stock of the civilised world. He requested the court that details of the bank accounts and foreign assets of these politicians be called for and an order be passed for bringing back in the country the national wealth.
He further requested the court to issue directions to these politicians to bring back their assets to Pakistan.
The respondents include Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his wife Kulsoom Nawaz, son Hussain Nawaz, brother Shahbaz Sharif, who is also Punjab chief minister, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan and his ex- wife Jemima Goldsmith, former convicted prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, his wife, former president Asif Ali Zardari, his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur, Federal Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan, former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf, former interior minister Rehman Malik, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Ali Khan, former chief minister Ch Pervez Elahi, former federal ministers Faisal Saleh Hayat, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Javed Hashmi, Maulana Fazalur Rehman, Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz, two former LHC chief justices Khwaja Muhammad Sharif and Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry, former SCBA presidents Hamid Khan, Asma Jahangir, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan and his wife Bushra Aitzaz, Pakistan Cricket Board former chairman Najam Sethi, former minister Wasim Sajjad, lawyers Sharifuddin Peerzada and Ahmar Bilal Soofi.
Respondent Benazir Bhutto had died, so her name was deleted.
DAILY TIMES.
YEMI.
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