Panamagate case: PTI to finalise parliamentary strategy today

Will look for ways to force PM to clarify his contradictory statements before NA

ISLAMABAD: The parliamentary committee of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will meet today (Sunday) to finalise a strategy for the National Assembly after its lawmakers decided to return to parliament.

“The PTI will consider the ways to force Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to come to the lower house and clarify his position over his contradictory statements – made respectively in the parliament and later before the Supreme Court – about his family member’s properties’ money trail,” PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry said on Sunday. A strategy will be finalised during the party’s parliamentary committee meeting scheduled to be held at Imran Khan’s residence in Bani Gala, he said. “It will be attended by all PTI MPs.”



Chaudhry said during next week the PTI would intensity its demand in the parliament to seek explanation from the PM on the floor of the house. “The PTI will also consider how it could pursue its pending adjournment motion against the PM,” he added.

During the first three sittings of the ongoing 37th session of the National Assembly, the PTI had offered immense opposition to the ruling party on the Panamagate issue.

After ending its over two-month-long boycott of the parliament, the PTI reappeared in the National Assembly on December 14 to pursue the issue of Panama leaks not only in the Supreme Court but also in the Parliament, while also holding public gatherings.

A close aide of Imran Khan said the PTI’s parliamentary committee would also deliberate if Imran should join the coming sittings of the National Assembly in the next week or not.

Imran has long been criticised by the opposition parties and the media for not giving due attention to the parliament. During the last three-and-a-half years, the NA collectively held 374 sittings of which the PTI chief attended only 22.

“During recent deliberations, it was decided that the PTI would continue to intensify pressure on the government in the National Assembly. The PTI has returned to the parliament on a single point agenda – Panamagate issue. And we will go to every extent to keep this issue alive in the parliament,” Chaudhry said.



According to the PTI leader, the party will also decide today (Sunday) whether to hold its planned December 25 rally to ramp up pressure on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Peshawar or Swabi. The party had announced it would hold two public gatherings before the first week of January 2017, when the Supreme Court is scheduled to resume fresh hearing of the Panamagate case.

According to sources, party chief Imran Khan is favouring the venue of Swabi over Peshawar. The second gathering will either be held in Rawalpindi or Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2016.