Islamabad (Staff Report): Maryam Nawaz Sharif, daughter of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, on Tuesday submitted her reply in the Supreme Court in Panama Leaks case, stating that she was not her father's dependent after her marriage with Captain Safdar in 1992 and she lived with her husband.
Maryam also submitted her tax details for the past five years. In 2012, she had filed Rs 2,314,917 as income tax, Rs 6,517,504 in 2013, Rs 8,872,742 in 2014, Rs 9,340,243 in 2015 and Rs 12,128,778 in 2016.
A larger bench of the Supreme Court led by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa resumed hearing the Panama Leaks case on Tuesday.
During the proceeding of the court, Prime Minister's counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan clarified that the Prime Minister had not sought immunity under Article 248 of the constitution. The speech could not be presented as evidence in the case, he argued.
The top court, however, observed that the privilege of lawmakers to say anything in Parliament without being held accountable was not absolute under Article 66 of the Constitution.
He added that if judges' conduct is discussed in the assembly, then immunity would not be extended to members of the Parliament as Article 68 and 204 prevent members from speaking on judges' conduct.
He also explained that if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was to speak somewhere other than the Parliament then he would ask for immunity under Article 248.
Makhdoom Ali Khan mentioned during his arguments that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto also asked for immunity in the Chaudhary Zahur Ilahi case.
On this Justice Khosa remarked that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had not made a speech in the NA in the Zahur Ilahi case, which is why giving the example of that case does not apply here.
The PM's counsel further argued that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's speech on the National Assembly's floor cannot be used as evidence.
The court adjourned the case till Wednesday.
