ISLAMABAD: The Committee formed by opposition parties to finalize Terms of References (TORs) in Panama leaks matter on Tuesday reached consensus on different points.
Representatives of different opposition parties met for the second time in two consecutive days. Both the meetings were held at Opposition Leader in the Senate, Aitzaz Ahsan’s residence in the federal capital.
The committee has demanded the government to establish a commission using a presidential ordinance. Participants of the meeting agreed that international forensic audit experts should be tasked with Panama leaks probe.
Talking to the media, Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed said that the committee has agreed on a total of 15 points. He said that six parties are in favour of demanding the Prime Minister to resign while two are against it. Opposition has agreed on giving judicial commission three-month time period to probe Panama leaks against Sharif family.
Prior to the meeting, Rasheed had said that PPP, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were four big opposition parties that have demanded the Prime Minister to resign. These parties hold majority seats in the National Assembly (NA) and have the ‘street power’, he added.
The AML chief also said that PPP chairman Bilawal’s call to give another blow to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘friends’ is the voice of his heart.
PTI’’s vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that opposition parties have agreed on the Terms of References.
The committee that convened a meeting today comprises of Aitzaz Ahsan, Hamid Khan, Mushahid Hussain, Asadullah Bhutto, Aneesa Zaib, Sheikh Rasheed, Mian Iftikhar, Mir Israrullah Zehri and Khalid Maqbool.
Different opposition parties held a meeting on Monday and rejected government’s course-of-action for establishment of a commission to probe Panama leaks. The parties had demanded holding every Pakistani citizen named in Panama leaks accountable for his wealth but Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif should be the first in line.
Leaders present at yesterday’s meeting could not reach consensus over demand about Prime Minister’s resignation.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) opposed the demand initially but agreed after discussion on Monday. Party member, Kanwar Naveed Jameel said that the Prime Minister should resign on moral grounds.
Awami National Party (ANP) and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) maintained their stance against the demand and did not give in. Opposition parties also demanded enactment of a new law to establish judicial commission for Panama leaks probe.
While conversing with the media after the meeting, Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) former federal minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said that the government’s TORs in their current shape are unacceptable, adding that all those named in Panama leaks should be accounted for but the process of accountability must begin with the ruler of the country.
Kaira stated that nine opposition parties met yesterday and all of those forwarded their TORs. “Committee will again meet tomorrow, we will try to make a final decision in regards to the Terms of References”, he said. NNI