Panamagate probe: PM House accuses JIT of tapping phones of witnesses

The Prime Minister House in Pakistan has accused the Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing into the offshore properties of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's family of phone tapping and monitoring of witnesses - a violation of the law and the Constitution.

"The reliance and reference to 'technical analysis' is indeed an admission by the JIT of phone tapping and monitoring of witnesses, a violation of the law and the Constitution," the Dawn quoted the PM House, as saying, in its rejoinder to the JIT application in which it had accused some government institutions of creating impediments in its work and tampering with relevant documents.

The PM House's rejection of allegations is part of Attorney General (AG)Ashtar Ausaf's four-page rejoinder to the JIT application, submitted to the Supreme Court on Friday.

In the rejoinder it denied allegations that it tutored witnesses and persons who were being summoned by the JIT.

In its application, the JIT had alleged that witnesses were being tutored at the behest of the Sharif family and confidential letters were being leaked by misusing the PM House.

The PM House rebuking the claim said, if needed, the persons being named were willing to file rejoinders.

Similarly, it denied that the PM House had leaked summons issued by the JIT and said the summons might have been leaked by the team itself. Nevertheless, it said, such summons were a matter of public knowledge and their leak did not in any manner hamper investigations as alleged.

The AG's reply also contained the rejoinder of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) which denied hacking the Facebook account of a JIT member, Bilal Rasool, or his family members or any other member of the team.

Likewise, the Law Ministry also rejected allegations levelled by the JIT against it and said that the letter of mutual legal assistance was issued in a record three-day time.

Similarly, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Federal Board of Revenue and Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) have also denied allegations of obstruction of justice.