The newly-appointed Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar Saturday formed a five-member larger bench to hear Panamagate case. A five-member larger bench led by senior puisne judge, Justice Asif Saeed Khan, and comprising Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh and Justice Ijazul Ahsan will hear the case on January 4, 2017.

Earlier on December 9, 2016, a five-member larger bench led by the then Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali adjourned the hearing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other four petitioners' pleas seeking various remedies including disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members allegedly involved in the Panamagate scandal.

The matter was adjourned till first week of the January 2017 because former CJP Jamali was not able to hear the case after a full court reference on December 15. Adjourning the hearing of the plea to a date in the first week of January 2017 on December 9, the bench ruled that the pleas shall not be treated as partly heard because by that time one of the members of the Bench (Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali) will be laying down his robes.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017