LAHORE: PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s legal team will appear before a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court hearing the fake bank accounts case here on Monday (today).

Led by Farooq H. Naek and Lateef Khosa, the team will appear before the court at its Lahore registry to represent the PPP co-chairman.

PPP deputy information secretary Chaudhry Mun­awar Anjum said Mr Zardari would not appear before the court as his legal team would represent him. He said the PPP had always respected and strengthened the judiciary and believed that they were facing politically motivated cases.

He said former president Asif Zardari had faced 17 cases in the past and was acquitted by the courts.

“The PPP believes that the Joint Investigation Team’s report has been fabricated under political influence for victimising its leaders. It is the PPP’s stance that if the report is fabricated, we will go to the people,” he said.

Mr Anjum said Prime Minis­ter Imran Khan wanted to eliminate the PPP and the Pakistan Mus­lim League-Nawaz to run opposition-free government and turn the country into One Unit and impose civil martial law. “We always fight against the non-democratic forces and will continue to do so,” he added.

Chief justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar will sit at the Lahore registry the entire week starting from Monday (today) after returning from Turkey and performing Umra.

A two-judge bench consisting of the chief justice and Justice Ijazul Ahsan will hear multiple independent cases, including delay in inquiries into the fake bank accounts case involving Asif Zardari, Omni group’s owners and Summit Bank vice chairman Hussain Lawai. The JIT tasked with probing the fake bank accounts case has submitted a sealed report to the court.

Other cases to be heard include the transfer of Isla­mabad inspector general of police on political grounds, illegal encroachment upon properties belong­­ing to the Hindu community in Sindh and illegal occupation of private land by PML-N MNA Afzal Khokhar and MPA Saiful Malook Khokhar.

Last week, Chief Justice Nisar visited Turkey where he met President Tayyip Erdogan and attended Urs of Maulana Rumi.

Later, he went to Saudi Arabia to perform Umra. Chief Justice Nisar is going to retire on Jan 17 next year.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2018