Panama Papers scandal: Pakistan SC orders corruption probe against Nawaz Sharif

November 2, 2016

Islamabad, Nov 2: In a jolt to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a probe into the Panama Papers scandal involving corruption allegations against the family of the beleaguered premier.

The Supreme Court heard several identical petitions by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and others to investigate charges of corruption against Sharif and his relatives after the Panama Papers released earlier this year showed his family owning offshore companies and assets.

The larger five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and comprising Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Justice Amir Hani Muslim, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan conducted the hearing in presence of several cabinet ministers, lawyers of petitioners, senior PTI leaders and media.

The apex court said it was ready to appoint a probe commission headed by a judge and armed with powers of the Supreme Court.

The court also ordered the government and petitioners to present their Terms of Reference (ToR) for the probe panel.

It court will decide to harmonise the ToR if the parties could not come up with the agreed set of ToR.

Before its adjournment till Thursday, the court also expressed willingness to hold hearings on a daily basis.

However, the court did not ban the protest by PTI tomorrow in Islamabad. But it advised the government and opposition to show restraint.

Reacting to the court's ruling, PTI chief Khan said the planned anti-government rally will now be marked as a day of thanksgiving in Islamabad.

Addressing a press conference outside Bani Gala, Khan thanked those who were part of his struggle against corruption.

"Go home and rest," Khan told supporters, "You have to return to Islamabad tomorrow to celebrate thanksgiving at Parade Ground."

"I am elated that the investigation into Nawaz Sharif's (alleged corruption) will begin day after tomorrow."

PTI had announced the rally in Islamabad to force Sharif to resign for a fair probe into the scandal. According to the Panama Papers, three of Sharif's four children - Maryam, Hasan and Hussain were owners of offshore companies and "were owners or had the right to authorise transactions for several companies."

Sharif and his family have dismissed the allegations of money laundering and denied any wrongdoing but the opposition is demanding an independent probe.

Meanwhile, the government has taken elaborate measures to

foil the protest and any effort to lockdown the capital as PTI chief Khan has threatened in several speeches.

All entry points to the capital are being monitored and scores of PTI workers have been arrested.

Last night a major rally led by chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was teargassed and forced to return.

The PTI is in power in KP and hopes for a major influx of youth from the province to boost the strength of the protest.

In Punjab, which is controlled by Sharif's ruling PML-N, hundreds of PTI workers have been arrested.

Official sources said close to 2,000 people were arrested to maintain law and order. But PTI claims that thousands of its workers were arrested.

The party has also urged the court to take suo moto action against arrests by the government.

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Pak jail authorities say Imran Khan is alive and healthy after ‘murder’ rumours spark panic

News Network

November 27,2025

Authorities at Pakistan’s high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Wednesday dismissed speculation about the condition of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, rejecting rumours that he had been moved out of the facility or was in danger. Officials said Khan was in “good health” and described the viral death claims as “baseless.”

“There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala Jail,” the Rawalpindi prison administration said in a statement, according to Geo News. “He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.”

Amid swirling rumours on social media, Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urged the federal government to issue an official clarification and demanded that authorities allow his family to meet him immediately, Dawn reported.

The frenzy began after Khan’s three sisters called for an impartial probe into what they described as a “brutal” police assault on them and other PTI supporters outside Adiala Jail last week. Soon after, several social media handles circulated unverified claims alleging that Khan had been “killed” inside the prison.

The rumours intensified when a handle named “Afghanistan Times” claimed that “credible sources” had confirmed Khan’s “murder” and that his body had been moved out of the jail — allegations that have not been verified by any credible agency.

Imran Khan, PTI’s patron-in-chief, has been lodged in the Rawalpindi prison since August 2023 in multiple cases. For over a month, an undeclared restriction has prevented family members and senior PTI leaders from meeting him. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reportedly been denied access despite making seven attempts.

In a letter to Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar, Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Dr. Uzma Khan — said they were “peacefully protesting” outside the jail when police allegedly launched an unprovoked assault after streetlights were switched off.

“At 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown to the ground and dragged across the road,” Noreen Niazi said, alleging that other women present were also slapped and manhandled.

Adiala Jail officials reiterated that speculation over Imran Khan’s health was unfounded and insisted that his well-being was being ensured, Geo News reported.

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