What does the PM have to hide?, asks PPP senator

Had this been a question of the involvement of an average citizen, all govt agencies would have sprung to action

LAHORE: “The impasse over terms of reference for investigations into the Panama Papers Leaks suggests that the prime minister’s family has something to hide,” said Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Aitezaz Ahsan.

Talking to newsmen at Lahore High Court, Ahsan said, “If their conscience was clear, there would have been no deadlock on the TORs.”



“Unfortunately, the TORs could not be drafted with consensus because of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s majority in the parliament which keeps blocking independent investigation into the matter.”

In such a situation, he said, opposition parties should exert pressure on the government for a workable draft of the TORs.

Ahsan said, “Had this been a question of the involvement of an average citizen in offshore companies, all government agencies and anti-corruption institutions would have sprung to action.”

He said the Panama leaks could be a death knell for the PML-N.

Referring to a reference for the prime minister’s disqualification filed by the PPP to the Election Commission of Pakistan, he said noose was being tightened.



Ahsan denied reports of a meeting with a ruling party leader on the matter of TORs.

“I have not met anyone on the matter, except the National Assembly speaker who is not a representative of the government,” he said. He said the government had been trying to divide opposition over this issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2016.