Qatri prince invites JIT to Doha, responds to July 4 letter
He has called the JIT members to Sheikh Palace to answer questions on his business with Sharif family
July 07, 2017
ISLAMABAD: Qatar's Prince Hammad Bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani invited members of Panama’s Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to his “Sheikh Palace” for answering questions pertaining to his family business' partnership with late Mian Muhammad Sharif.
Prince Hammad was responding to JIT’s July 4 letter where investigators requested him to consider the verification and investigation of his previous letters important for Hussain Nawaz Sharif and Hassan Nawaz Sharif via facsimile transmission or email which may be followed up by couriering signed originals.
“Qatari Prince [Hammad bin Jassim] also asked for names of the JIT members and dates of their visit,” a close friend of Hussain Nawaz Sharif told this correspondent by quoting content of the letter JIT received on Friday. Earlier this week, JIT wrote to Prince Hammad that he has already formally and irrevocably accepted and submitted to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and concomitantly the jurisdiction of the JIT.
Al-Thani has also answered the letter by the JIT and the same will likely to be clubbed with JIT final report to be presented before the Supreme Court of Pakistan. A source close to the Sharif family, present in Doha for the past two days, confirmed the same to this correspondent. In its last communication to Al-Thani, the JIT considered the verification and investigation of Qatari prince’s letters important for Hussain Nawaz Sharif and Hassan Nawaz Sharif.
In what appears to be a last ditch effort by the Sharifs to convince Hammad bin Jassim, the prime minister’s elder son Hussain Nawaz Sharif and Senator Saif-ur-Rehman rushed to Doha on July 6, an aide of the Sharif family said. Both were present in Doha when the Qatari prince was extending his invitation to JIT probing the Panama Papers revelations.
Hussain also arrived in London on the morning of July 7, the aide added. Hussain travelled from Doha to London to meet some close friends to discuss the future course of action after the Supreme Court’s final order on the Panama Papers revelations, he further said, adding Hussain will most probably return to Pakistan tomorrow.
The Pakistani embassy in Qatar stated that ambassador Shahzad Ahmed went on leave till July 19, according to official sources. Yet, it was not clear why Ahmed left office at a time when JIT members were making their mind to record Hammad bin Jasim’s statement, added the sources. The Pakistani embassy in Qatar is playing a vital role to establish official communication between the Qatri Prince and JIT head Wajid Zia. The foreign office of Pakistan, however, did not comment on the matter.
