The judicial commission needs to be Panama papers-specific and it needs to be given a stipulated time frame
CHAKWAL: This is regarding rumours swirling around touching the hearts of many in this land of ours. The subject is the silence of NAB and the FIA over the Panama leaks. The terms of reference suggested by the government for the judicial commission are not only practically impossible to conduct an inquiry under but would also require establishing another investigative body like NAB or the FIA.
Owing to cases ranging from offshore accounts of Pakistani citizens, investigation of current and former bureaucrats to the involvement of former and present holders of public office in writing off their own bank loans or those of their immediate family members through political influence — falling under the jurisdiction of the commission — makes it impossible to have an investigation by NAB or FIA or both. It merits mentioning here that NAB, staffed by hundreds of interrogators, has already submitted details of 150 mega scams before the Supreme Court over the last several years. This is a deliberate drive of the government to embroil the commission in a cluster of complicated cases. Instead, the government should come clean before the nation by holding itself accountable and commencing the investigation of offshore accounts held by the Sharif family.
The judicial commission needs to be Panama papers-specific and it needs to be given a stipulated time frame in which to complete the investigation. The government must not ridicule the people’s aspirations of good governance by resorting to delaying tactics that are visible to anyone in broad daylight.
Inamul Haq
Published in The Express Tribune, April 30th, 2016.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
