ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s affidavit, given in a money laundering reference against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders 17 years ago, remained the focus of press conferences by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the PML-N leaders following Monday’s hearing of the Panamagate case.

PTI chairperson Imran Khan termed Mr Dar’s statement proof of the “real money trail” of the prime minister’s offshore assets, while PML-N leaders challenged the veracity of the statement given under duress during General Pervaiz Musharraf’s military rule.

Mr Dar had given a handwritten statement to a magistrate on April 25, 2000, alleging that the Sharif brothers had used the Hudaibya Paper Mills as a cover for money laundering in the late 1990s.

After becoming an approver, Mr Dar had confessed that he had laundered Nawaz Sharif’s money, said Mr Khan, adding that this was the actual money trail of the PM’s London flats.

PML-N argues that the affidavit was given under duress

He said Mr Dar had given the statement while being investigated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and when he filed an appeal against the NAB court decision in a high court, the bureau did not challenge it. “That is because the NAB chairperson was appointed by Nawaz Sharif.”

He said the Supreme Court had also directed NAB to provide documentary evidence as to why it had not gone into an appeal against the high court’s decision.

The prime minister has even made his own father, Mian Sharif, a ‘money launderer’ by placing the onus of their offshore investments on him, the PTI chief said.

The Sharif family’s Gulf Steel Mill had been running a huge loss, approximately 15 million dirhams in Dubai, how could it have been sold off for 12m dirhams, Mr Khan questioned.

On the other hand, PML-N’s Daniyal Aziz and Prime Minister’s Adviser Mussadiq Malik held a press conference at the Press Information Department where they claimed that Mr Dar’s statement had been obtained under duress.

“When a person is taken to the basement of Attock Fort, he says whatever he is asked to say,” said Mr Malik.

The adviser said Mr Dar’s case had been tried thrice in the past and the decisions had been in his favour. “Double jeopardy law does not allow the trial of a person more than once on a specific issue.”

The provincial authorities on Monday issued orders to place Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed under house arrest, DawnNews reported and JuD spokesperson later confirmed.

The government launched a crackdown against JuD and a heavy contingent of police was deployed around the JuD headquarter and offices in Muridke and Lahore.

“A large police team arrived (at JuD headquarters) and told us that Hafiz would be placed under house arrest,” said the secretary of information for JuD, Nadeem Awan.

Awan said the police told them they had an arrest warrant for Saeed and five others at JuD headquarters.

Hafiz Saeed was reportedly present at the Qudsia Mosque located in Chauburji area of Lahore. Contingents of police and other law-enforcing agencies reached the area and surrounded the premises, sources said.

Police sources further informed that Saeed will be shifted to his residence in the Johar Town area of the provincial capital, which will then be declared as a sub-jail.

Saeed has been detained under Section 11-EEE(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1977, a notification issued by the interior ministry said.

Meanwhile, the district intelligence committee has suggested it to the government to put the JuD chief’s name in fourth schedule.

Moreover, national flags have been hoisted at the JuD offices in Lahore, instead of party flags, on the directives of provincial home department, it added.

The provincial authorities have also started to remove the banners of JuD from the roads of Lahore.

The move comes after years of pressure on Pakistan to put Saeed on trial and could ease recently escalating tensions with neighbour and arch-foe India.

Also read: Why aren’t we taking action against Hafiz Saeed, PML-N lawmaker asks

Saeed had been accused by the United States and India of masterminding the 2008 attacks on the Indian financial capital Mumbai that killed 166 people.

He, however, has repeatedly denied involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Awan said the Pakistani government had been under pressure from the United States to take action against Saeed or face sanctions. “This government has buckled under the pressure.”

In 2012, the United States announced a bounty of $10 million on Hafiz Saeed for his alleged role in the attack in which six American citizens were also killed.

ISLAMABAD: A day after the National Assembly witnessed a brawl between lawmakers from the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq declared on Friday that the house would not conduct any business till a decision on the way forward was taken by the parliamentary leaders.

The proceedings of the assembly were adjourned by the speaker for 30 minutes prior to a meeting of the parliamentary leaders to discuss Thursday’s unpleasant incident that ended without a decision. The speaker later informed the house that more time was required to reach a decision and adjourned it to meet again on Monday at 4pm. The parliamentary leaders in the National Assembly will also meet an hour before the session’s time.

A highlight of the parliamentary leaders’ meeting was an offer of resignation from the speaker if the opposition has objections against him. Mr Sadiq told reporters that all the parliamentary leaders had said in response to his offer that they had full confidence in him.

Speaker says Afridi was suspended over failure to declare assets

He said the participants had agreed that all that happened was unfortunate and was not good for democracy and sanctity of parliament. He said the practice of trading allegations and shouting slogans in the house must come to an end.

The speaker had summoned the footage of the incident but disclosed that it was not played during the meeting. He said the matter involved excesses from both sides.

Stranger in the house

He also talked about the role of a ‘stranger in the house’ in the scuffle and said the Election Commi­ssion of Pakistan (ECP) had suspended the membership of PTI MNA Shahryar Afridi for his failure to submit his annual statement of assets and liabilities.

He said the NA secretarial staff went to Mr Afridi thrice to inform him that his membership was suspended and he could not take part in the proceedings, but he insisted he had submitted the statement. He was told that a notification for the restoration of his membership had not been issued by the ECP, but he refused to leave the house.

The speaker said that had he been informed by the staff, he would not have run the proceedings till the exit of the ‘stranger’ from the house.

An ECP official, when contacted, confirmed that Mr Afridi’s membership remained suspended. He said the membership of 66 MNAs had been suspended on Nov 15 and 65 of them had since submitted the required details. He revealed that Mr Afridi had submitted his statement to the ECP on Friday.

The official said the notification for the restoration of his membership would most probably be issued on Monday, after its approval by the commission.

The speaker said suggestions were made by the participants regarding respect of women members and the political leadership and avoi­ding a physical showdown.

He said one of the suggestions was that the parliamentary leaders make statements in the house deploring the incident. He said it was the responsibility of the senior leaders of each party to stop their members from using language that could trigger a brawl or disrupt the proceedings.

He said some parliamentary leaders wanted to consult their party leaderships and they would meet again on Monday to reach a decision.

Talking to reporters, PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that no decision could be taken at the meeting but all the parties had condemned the incident. He said he would prepare a strategy after meeting Leader of Opposition Syed Khurshid Shah.

“The things will deteriorate if the membership of our member is suspended,” Mr Qureshi said.

He held some ministers responsible for vitiating the atmosphere. He said seriousness of ministers could lead to a congenial environment in the assembly.

Privilege motion

The PTI submitted a privilege motion against PML-N lawmakers, including Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Mian Mannan and retired Capt Safdar, over the brawl.

The motion signed by 23 MNAs was submitted to the assembly secretariat. According to the motion, the PML-N lawmakers moved towards the opposition side and took physical aim at PTI MNAs while hurling abuses against them during the session.“This attack by the PML-N MNAs led to an outbreak of fisticuffs instigated by PML-N MNAs,” it said.

The party alleged that MNA Mannan had made an obscene gesture towards the PTI MNAs, including women, during the speech of its deputy parliamentary leader, Mr Qureshi.

The assembly turned into a battlefield on Thursday as the scuffle broke out between both parties’ lawmakers who exchanged blows and slaps and pushed one another. Both sides hold each other responsible for starting the braw