Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan urged the Supreme Court on Monday to constitute a bench at the earliest to hear the Panamagate case on daily basis. 

"People have been waiting for a decision of the Supreme Court in the Panamagate case," he said at a news conference, at his Bani Gala residence.

He said that PTI wanted this case should be heard as soon as possible. He also questioned the Criminal Justice System of the country. "We request the Supreme Court that it is an important and decisive case in Pakistan's history.

This case will decide whether Pakistan to become a real democracy or it will remain in the clutches of a corrupt mafia," he said, adding that the Panamagate case should have been decided so far.

Imran said that people were worried over delay in its verdict. He said that it has become quite clear now that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif not only lied in the Parliament but also tried to hide behind a letter from a Qatari prince in the Supreme Court. "Senator Ishaq Dar has already testified before a magistrate that he used to launder money for Nawaz Sharif.

In his affidavit, Dar has given names of the people whom he used to send money," he said, adding that a BBC documentary also showed how money was sent abroad for Mayfair flats to Qazi family and others.

PTI Chairman said Nawaz Sharif made companies in the name of his children, but now pretended that he didn't have money and borrowed it from his sons to meet the family expenses.

Khan also welcomed Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar's statement about the appointment of Chairman National Accountability Bureau through the Supreme Court. He said that Nisar's statement reflected that some members in the ruling party too didn't trust the NAB.

"NAB should work as an independent institution under the NAB Law," he urged asking how Nawaz Sharif could allow the NAB to work independently because there were 12 cases against him in the NAB. He said that the NAB had lost its credibility by freeing the corrupt through plea bargains.

He said that corruption in the country was rising because the authority failed to control it. Hence, he demanded that NAB chairman should resign from his post immediately.

Imran also criticised the government for placing the regulatory bodies under the line ministries, saying the regulators were responsible for protection of rights of the citizens.

He said it was unfair particularly with the smaller provinces and now Nepra and Ogra would hike prices of the electricity and petroleum products at the will of relevant ministries.

He also termed a recent statement of Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif about nuclear programme as 'irresponsible' and said the whole world was already against the nuclear programme of Pakistan. "Khawaja Asif is a corrupt and ineligible person. His statement defamed Pakistan around the world," he alleged.

Imran Khan also lambasted the Punjab chief minister on replacing present administrative system with old deputy commissioners system, saying that Shahbaz wanted to control the local government system through deputy commissioners.

-Business Recorder