ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif`s children Maryam, Hassan and Hussain Nawaz told the Supreme Court on Monday that their father had no concern or role in their businesses and properties.

In a joint statement submitted before a five-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, they explained that they were adults and independent individuals.

Maryam is a regular tax payer who duly filed her tax returns and details of her income, assets and liabilities, whereas the two sons are non-resident Pakistanis who have been settled abroad for around two decades.

Since both have not held any public of fice in Pakistan, therefore they have been wrongly implicated as respondents by the peti-tioner with malicious intent, alleged the joint statement submitted through their counsel Salman Aslam Butt.

In her statement, Maryam categorically denied that she was her father`s dependant and claimed that she was never the beneficial owner of any of the properties, nor did she make any contribution or payment for the properties or derived any benefit f rom them.

Referring to the allegations about the wealth statement of the prime minister for the tax year 2011, where she had been declared a dependant, she said these claims were misconceived.

Certain immovable property held by the prime minister in her name that year was duly included and disclosed by the prime minister in his wealth statement, her reply claimed.

Consequently, these properties were duly included and declared in her wealth statement in 2012.

Similarly, Hussain Nawaz explained that before Jan 2006, none of the entities or properties mentioned in the petitions was owned by him or any of his family members. The source of funds used to acquire these properties in Jan 2006 was theinvestment made by the late Mian Mohammad Sharif their grandfather in the year 1980 from the proceeds of the sale of his steel business in Dubai.

No part of thefunds was generated or transferred from Pakistan, he claimed.

Hassan Nawaz also stated that he was not, nor had he ever been, the owner of any of the properties or entities mentioned in the petitions.

He explained that none of them had purchased properties between the years 1993 and 1996, adding that none of their family members had anything to do with the incorporation of the entities in the year 1992 and 1994, respectively.

He stated that Hussain Nawaz had gif ted the sum of $1,914,054 to their father in 2011, who then gifted Rs31,700,000 and Rs19,459,440 to Maryam and himself, respectively.

The gift to Maryam was reflected in the statement of assets and liabilities filed by retired Capt Mohammad Safdar, the statement explained.

They also requested the court to dismiss the petition for being in violation of the provisions of the Constitution and applicable laws.