News @ 3 - 26th July 2017

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court directed the counsel of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf secretary general Jehangir Tareen to provide details of his trust and an offshore company which, he says, was registered in the name of his children, ARY News reported.

The direction came during the hearing of a petition filed by PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi seeking disqualification of PTI chairman Imran Khan and Tareen over non disclosure of assets, offshore companies, and receiving funds from prohibited sources for the party.

Headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar the three judge bench adjourned the hearing till tomorrow (Thursday) directing Tareen’s counsel to explain how and when the trust was formed, when the offshore company came into existence and who is the beneficial owner of the company and whether gifts to the tune of millions of rupees to him by his family and vice versa constituted any offence.

Hanif Abbasi had moved the apex court seeking disqualification of both the PTI leaders from membership of the National Assembly. The court was further pleaded to declare them ineligible to hold any office of a political party under the Political Parties Order 2002.

PML-N leader claimed that Jehangir misstated his income for the tax year 2010-11 and willfully and fraudulently concealed the fact that he owns an offshore company.

Whereas, Khan did not declare his offshore company – Niazi Services Limited (NSL) – in his statement of assets and liabilities submitted to the ECP in his nomination papers in the 2013 general elections.

NSL owned a flat at Draycott Avenue in London which he had purchased in 1984 and the flat remained undeclared until the Pakistan government announced an amnesty scheme in 2000.