Panama Leaks probe: Opposition parties say they will proceed together

Major parties are all set to meet on July 19 to discuss a plan of action

LAHORE: As opposition parties prepare to resume their dialogue on the Panama Leaks investigations on July 19 in Islamabad, there is concern among opposition ranks that the government may use delaying tactics to disrupt their unity.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek have announced their intent to take to the streets. Other parties are considering exhausting various other options first and proceeding in the matter with consensus.

The July 19 meeting will bring together all opposition parties to deliberate on the continued deadlock over the terms of reference (ToRs) for the inquiry into the offshore wealth of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s relatives.

PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi says that opposition parties will explore various courses of action in the meeting. He says the opposition will be careful to not provide the government with any opportunity to misrepresent its demand for accountability as an attempt to derail the democratic setup. “Speaking against corruption and demanding accountability is not undemocratic,” he says.

Qureshi says the opposition will review all options, including reaching out to the people. “Consulting the people on an issue is not unconstitutional. It is part and parcel of a democratic system,” he says.

Qureshi says it appears that the government is deliberately delaying investigations into the Panama Leaks, hoping that the public will lose interest in it or that the opposition will lose its unity. “Alliances are forged on minimum common agenda. Panama Leaks inquiry is such an agenda for the joint opposition,” he says.

The Pakistan Peoples Party has already filed a reference with the Election Commission of Pakistan seeking the prime minister’s disqualification. It now plans to file a reference against the prime minister with the National Accountability Bureau. PPP Senator Saeed Ghani says the party will proceed in the matter with consensus. “If there is an agreement over the need for street agitation, we will definitely be a part of the effort,” he says.

For PML-Q, there is no point to further talk with the government over the ToRs. “We believe the exercise has been fruitless,” says MNA Tariq Bashir Cheema. He says the party will follow the course of action developed with consensus.

PAT secretary general Khurram Nawaz Gandapur says that if the joint opposition decides to take to the streets his party will be at the forefront of such an effort. “No opposition movement can move forward without the PAT’s support. We have the street power required for the purpose,” he says.

Gandapur says there can be no headway in the Panama Leaks issue without the prime minister’s resignation.

The PAT will send a three-member delegation to the July 19 meeting. It has also called an all-parties conference (APC) on July 31 on the Model Town riot investigation and the Panama Leaks issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2016.