Sharif's disqualification case: EC asks parties to present proof on August 17

The Pakistan Election Commission started hearing the four references filed by many political parties, seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and asked them to produce documentary evidence on August 17.

The five-member bench is being chaired by Chief Election Commissioner, Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza, reports Geo News.

After Pakistan Peoples Party senior leader and lawyer Latif Khosa could not read from the documentary evidence that he had submitted to the Commission along with an application for disqualification of Sharif, the Commission said it cannot deliver its judgment on the basis of such evidence that could not be read.

The disqualification petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Awami Tehreek and Awami Muslim League were submitted after the Panama Papers' leaks about Pakistani politicians running off shore companies.

The parties have filed separate references to get Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif disqualified for allegedly hiding facts in his nomination papers and income tax returns.

PML-N's Daniyal Aziz told media that all the four parties had conceded before the Election Commission that the name of the Prime Minister was not mentioned in the Panama Papers. He noted that the parties filed references without having evidence to substantiate their contention.