ISLAMABAD: A day before Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to appear before the joint investigation team (JIT) probing allegations of money laundering in the Panama Papers case, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan filed a petition in the Supreme Court requesting action against the premier and senior members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for running a `smear campaign` against judges of the Supreme Court and members of the JIT.

The respondents in the petition other than the prime minister are: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Special Assistant to the PM Asif Kirmani, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Senator Nehal Hashmi and ex-minister Pervez Rashid, among other leaders of the ruling PML-N.

According to the verdict in the Panama Papers case, the apex court had ordered a JIT to further probe allegations of money laundering against the prime minister and his family.

In the petition filed on Wednesday, Mr Khan said: `The prime minister and ten other respondents want to obstruct the administration of justice and hamper, impede and malign the investigation proceedings carried [out] pursuant to the order of this honourable court dated 20-04-2017.

The petition includes press statements, clip-IN the petition, Imran Khan has included press statements, clippings and video footage of federal and provincial ministers as evidence of the `smear campaign`.

pings and videofootage of various ruling party leaders, including federal and provincial ministers, as evidence of the alleged `smear campaign`.

The ruling party had objected to the inclusion of two members in the JIT, but their plea was later rejected by the Supreme Court.

The party also accused the JIT ofleaking a photograph of the prime minister`s son, Hussain Nawaz, in which he can be seen sitting alone in an interrogation room.

In his petition, Mr Khan alleged that the prime minister was using his position of authority and clouttorun a slanderous campaign against the judiciary and the JIT, with the criminal intent to impede the process of investigations.

`A general impression has been given to the public at large that the `ruling family` is a prey and victim of an unlawful judicial process,` it added.

The PTI chief alleged that after the commencement of the investigation proceedings against the prime minister and his family, the campaign against state institutions had been systematically escalated by the rulingparty, with the criminal aim and objective to subvert the investigations carried out on court orders.

Nehal Hashmi It was also shocking to see members of the ruling PML-N extend brazen threats to the families of judges and members of the JIT, the petition said, referring to threatsissued by Senator Nehal Hashmi to `those investigating the prime minister and his family`.

`Most regrettably the senator [Nehal H ashmi] is roaming free in spite of the registration of a criminal case against him and he is extending threats to the institutions daily on the media without fear. It will be not out of place that the criminal case has been registered against him by providing legal concession as relevant sections of law have been omitted intentionally by the government officials, to aid and protect him, the petition said.

The PTI chairman said the situation had taken a dangerous turn after baseless and frivolous aspersions were cast on the Supreme Court by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. `His statement, beyond any doubt, amounts to bringing the entire judiciary into ridicule and hatred without exception and is also an episode of the planned and systematic campaign hatched by the prime minister and his cronies, he added.

The PTI chief requested the Supreme Court to pass orders to halt the `smear campaign` against the judiciary, the staff of the apex court and the JIT, and to issue directions to all executive and judicial authorities to ensure an unobstructed implementation of court orders in the Panama Papers case.