ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has suggested to form a joint committee to draft the terms of reference for establishing the judicial commission to probe allegations related to Panama Papers revelations.
Addressing the National Assembly on Monday, he said that a report was published in media in April, called Panama papers, which named a number of Pakistanis involved in forming offshore companies. He said his two sons were also named in it, who are living abroad and are doing legal business.
He said some of his fellow party members advised him not to explain his position, since he was not directly named. “They advised me to form an impartial commission to investigate the issue”, he added.
“I believe in the judiciary and even the retired judges but some people reacted adversely and even defamed those judges, then they demanded an investigation by FIA,” the premier said.
The premier said that his government accepted their demand and nominated FIA officials trusted by the opposition, but even this proposal was rejected. “Then they wanted a commission led by supreme judiciary, we agreed to that. But then they made the issue of TORs controversial”, he maintained.
He said he and his ministers do not afraid of accountability, we have faced selective justice in the past as well,” he added. He said he wants investigation against all kinds of corrupt people and practices, including those who took kick-backs and got their loans written off.
“Today, people living in bungalows and commuting in helicopters are accusing me of misconduct, can they explain it before the nation as to how they earned all this money and how much tax they paid,” said Nawaz Sharif.
The opposition members, as decided in a meeting before the NA session, did not create any disturbance during the speech. However, they staged a walkout after the prime minister’s address, saying “the prime minister’s address was of no use”.
During the speech, members of the ruling party kept applauding every sentence said by the prime minster by thumping theirs desks.
Earlier, the government lawmakers present in the NA welcomed the prime minister when he arrived to address the lower house.
INP
