Panama leaks inquiry: PTI’s patience wearing thin on ToRs

PTI hints at quitting parliamentary committee

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has hinted at quitting the parliamentary committee tasked to draft consensus terms of reference (ToRs) for a proposed Panamagate inquiry as the deadlock between the opposition and the government deepens.

The committee met again on Friday to iron out differences over the method of the inquiry. The seventh sitting of the parliamentary panel at the Parliament House, however, failed to produce a breakthrough.

Following the meeting, the PTI suggested that other opposition parties consider ‘other options’ rather than wasting time on meetings. “It will be a futile exercise to further deliberate over the issue in the face of the government’s approach towards saving the prime minister and his family from investigation at all costs,” Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.

“From today’s deliberations [with the government], I conclude this committee is of no use,” he added, saying he had been extremely disappointed and would request the PTI chairman to part ways with the ‘useless’ body.

Qureshi also took the opportunity to advise the lawyers’ fraternity to be ready to play their pivotal role in the current political scenario.

The government, meanwhile, claimed it was serious about resolving the issue but matters could not be settled through ‘dharnas or container politics’.

During Friday’s meeting, which lasted for about 90 minutes, the government side proposed a bill titled “Commission of Inquiry Act, 2016” besides circulating a comparison of the draft ToRs originally submitted by the joint opposition and the second draft presented on June 7.



The proposed bill is a slightly modified form of “The Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act, 1956”.

IT Minister Anusha Rehman, a government team member, claimed the point of view of one opposition party (PTI) did not reflect the will of the joint opposition.

Railways Minister Saad Rafique said the opposition only had one target:  the elected prime minister of Pakistan. He said the opposition only had a mandate to draft the ToRs not to assume the role of a judicial commission.

To a question, Leader of the Opposition in Senate Aitzaz Ahsan, who is a member of the parliamentary committee too, said whether or not the PPP would remain a part of the panel would be decided after consultation with the party leadership.

MQM Senator Muhammad Ali Khan Saif did not attend Friday’s meeting. The MQM and ANP already support the government’s demand of not including the premier’s name in the ToRs as, according to them, it would make the law person-specific, which is legally incorrect.

Talking to The Express Tribune, PTI’s Qureshi said while the European Parliament had formed a 65-member committee to probe the Panama leaks, the Pakistani government wanted to initiate investigations since the creation of the country rather than it limiting to the Panama Papers.

According to a circular issued by the National Assembly Secretariat, the committee decided to continue further discussions during the next meeting to be held on June 14.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2016.