The Panama JIT will soon initiate the inquiry into the case as per the orders from Supreme Court of Pakistan. The Panama JIT team plans to get assistance from the Federal Investigation Agency and Private Sector.
Yesterday, the JIT members met at the Federal Judicial Academy. The Joint Investigation Team has moved its offices to the Federal Judicial Academy to start the investigations.
Interior Ministry to Provide Security to Panama JIT
The Interior Ministry has given instructions for providing foolproof security to the Panama JIT members. The Secretary in Charge at the Ministry has instructed the IG of Islamabad Police to take care of the security matters.
The apex court has ordered the release of PKR 20 million for start of the investigations. The amount is considered as necessary funds for the investigators to initiate the process.
Powers of the Panama Joint Investigation Team
The Panama JIT will have the powers to engage both local and foreign experts for facilitating the investigation process. The Joint Investigation Team for Panama can collect evidence and have the powers given in the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) 1891. The other Acts that the Joint Investigation team can use include NAB Ordinance 1999 and FIA Act 1975.
All Executive Authorities must help the Joint Investigation Team in fulfilling its duties since it is doing the work of the Supreme Court. Any person who does not appear before the Joint Investigation Team will get notified to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
PTI’s Reaction to the Panama JIT Probe
The PTI does not want any in-camera Joint Investigation Team’s probe. The team will start the work in a few days to submit the report every fortnight. The PTI is not trusting the whole process of the investigation. PTI wants that public should know about the proceedings of the Joint Investigation Team.
PPP Wants Judges To Become Part of the JIT
Syed Khurshid Shah of PPP is not happy with the members forming the Joint Investigation Team. He wants the three Judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to become part of the JIT. He also said that if an officer gets a salary from a person, how can the officer investigate that person?
Some political analysts have raised the question that opposition is not on the same page when it comes to the names of the Panama Joint Investigation Team. However, Khurshid Shah says that the purpose of all opposition parties is the same even if they do not have the same viewpoint.
