justice,
Anwar Zaheer Jamali, adjourned the hearing till the first week of
January, and said, the new bench would hear the petitions.

When
the senior most judge, Justice Saqib Nisar, took the oath, he ended all
kinds of speculations over 'Panama case’, by keeping himself out of the
bench. Whether elections will be held as per schedule in 2018 or
earlier, the battle for Islamabad will be between the ruling PML-N and
opposition PTI, the SC verdict on Panama will also determine the
political career of both Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter
Maryam Nawaz and also of Imran Khan.

Imran, who had lost his
campaign over election rigging in 2013 after the Judicial Commission
findings in 2015, wants to win 'Panama case’, as his chances of victory
in the next general elections has a lot to do with the court verdict.

Defeat
inthis case will further reduce his chances of winning the upcoming
elections, but a victory could give a new lease of life to his party and
he could go into polls with high spirits. On the other hand, stakes are
also high in the other camp. There’s a lot more than the political
career of PM Sharif which is under threat.

Any adverse ruling
would seriously dent his political legacy, as he often sees his daughter
taking over power from him in future. But, the PML-N is ready to take
the challenge, as the political battle between the PML and the PTI has
now entered the crucial phase and political temperature has also soared.

The
kind of language being used by both sides during TV talk shows and in
public meetings also reflects rising tensions. The battle for Punjab is
the