In a televised address to the nation, Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif said a retired judge from the Supreme Court of Pakistan will head the commission. (File photo)
Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced on Tuesday that he would to set up an independent judicial commission to probe whether his family was involved in illegal overseas investments after reports based on documents leaked from a Panama-based law firm indicated his sons owned several offshore companies.
In a televised address to the nation, Sharif said a retired judge from the Supreme Court of Pakistan will head the commission.
"This commission after investigations will decide what is the fact and to what extent the allegations are valid," he said.
He asked those levelling corruption charges against his family to cooperate with the commission and prove any allegations instead of repeating "baseless allegations" which his family had been facing for years.
Sharif's comments came a day after his son Hussain Nawaz admitted he owned offshore companies and property abroad which has been disclosed in the so-called Panama Papers leaks. He maintained that he never used his government office for financial gain.