PML-N to consult opposition on ToRs

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to contact opposition parties next week to evolve consensus on the terms of reference (ToR) for the Panama commission. The development comes a day after the Supreme Court turned down a government request to form a judicial panel, terming the proposed working terms ‘toothless’.

Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Law Barrister Zafarullah told The Express Tribune on Saturday that the government was examining the top court’s response on its request to form an inquiry commission. The government is waiting for the return of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to start negotiations with the opposition, which has been vociferously protesting over the issue.



Zafarullah said Dar would arrive in Islamabad on Sunday (today) and the dialogue process with opposition parties was expected to start in the coming week.

The prime minister is also expected to address parliament on Monday in an effort to clarify his position before the opposition lawmakers, who have been boycotting the legislative sessions since May 9.

Another senior official said a committee headed by Dar and comprising a member each from the government allied parties would be formed for talks with the opposition. Homework for the dialogue has already been completed with backchannel contacts with opposition leaders already made, he added.

The official, however, said the government’s legal aides were still reluctant on forming the Panama commission under a new law as recommended by the Supreme Court. They believe a number of commissions have already worked successfully under the Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act, 1956.



The official also voiced reservations over the Supreme Court Bar Association’s (SCBA) offer to play a mediatory role between the opposition and the government. The bar should play a neutral role, he added.

PBC voices concern

Though the SCBA has welcomed the top court’s response to the government’s request, the Pakistan Bar Council has expressed reservations over the judiciary’s suggestion to enact appropriate laws.

The PBC executive body passed a resolution on Saturday, stating the Supreme Court should instead take suo motu notice of the Panama leaks.

The lawyers’ association also called upon the prime minister and his children to provide the money trail leading to the offshore assets from 1985 to date.

The PBC believed if in the history of Pakistan there was one case deserving action under Article 184(3), it was the case of Panama leaks.

The PBC regretted the top court’s letter has again thrown back the matter into the hands of the government, which has no intention to divulge details of the money earned by the premier or his children.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2016.