ISLAMABAD: Opposition leaders will be gathering here on Monday to devise a common strategy on the issue of Panama Papers leaks and to put pressure on the government to change the terms of reference (ToRs) for the judicial commission to be set up to investigate the scam.

Although almost all opposition parties are unanimous in rejecting the government-announced ToRs for the inquiry commission, they have divergent views on the demand for the prime minister’s resignation and launching a full-fledged anti-government movement.

Political observers are giving importance to the event because it is for the first time since the 2013 general elections that all major opposition parties, having differences with each other on a number of issues, will meet under one roof.

Sources in the opposition parties told Dawn that the main purpose of the meeting, which will be held at the residence of Opposition Leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan, was to finalise an agreed draft of ToRs to be presented before the government as a consensus document from all opposition parties.

All opposition parties have rejected the ToRs announced by the government, but only the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has threatened to resort to “street agitation” if ToRs were not finalised in consultation with opposition parties.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan had unilaterally announced holding a long march towards the Raiwind residence of the Sharifs, but later the party put the plan on hold after getting a cold response from other opposition parties.

Differences persist over call for PM’s resignation

Similarly, the PTI’s call for resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to face the inquiry into the allegations of money-laundering and tax evasion in the wake of Panama Papers leaks has also not been given serious consideration by a number of other opposition parties, including the PML-Q and ANP.

The PPP so far seems to be unclear on the resignation issue after the Saturday’s speech of its chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari at a public meeting in Azad Kashmir in which he asked the prime minister to step down to face the inquiry.

Background interviews with a number of PPP leaders reveal that Mr Bilawal’s speech had put them in a state of confusion. With no one agreeing to talk on the issue on record, some of them believe that after the announcement by the party chairman they would now have to take this position officially whereas some leaders are of the view that the PPP chairman had only made a reference to a similar speech that had been made by Mr Sharif during the PPP’s government when the then prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was facing some corruption charges.

Talking to Dawn here on Sunday, PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain categorically stated that his party would not support the demand for the prime minister’s resignation at this stage.

“We are not demanding the prime minister’s resignation. We only want him to present himself before the commission for an independent and transparent inquiry,” he added.

When contacted, PML-Q’s secretary general Mushahid Hussain Sayed said opposition leaders in their meeting would discuss everything pertaining to the Panama leaks, but its main purpose was to develop a consensus on ToRs.

He said the prime minister during a chat with reporters on Saturday had indicated that the government would have no objection if ToRs were changed and that he was ready to first present himself before the commission. He termed it a positive development. He said that Chaudhry Shujaat would himself attend the meeting of opposition parties.

When contacted, ANP’s Information Secretary Zahid Khan said the call for the prime minister’s resignation was “too early and unjustified”. He said the ANP had made it clear to other opposition parties, including the PPP and PTI, that it would not support any plan to hold protest rallies, long marches or sit-ins against the government on the issue.

Zahid Khan said all opposition parties would have to be on one page on the issue. He said that Ghulam Ahmed Bilour and Mian Iftikhar would represent the party in the meeting.

Talking to Dawn, PPP’s Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Saeed Ghani said his party had prepared a draft of ToRs to be presented before the meeting. He said he had heard that the PTI had also prepared its own draft.

He said the PPP believed that opposition parties, if remained united, could force the government to change the ToRs.

The opposition parties oppose the constitution of the judicial commission under the 1956 Act and want a new legislation to empower the commission believing that all commissions set up under this act in the past have failed to meet expectations and their reports have never been made public or acted upon.

They also want the commission to first probe allegations of “money laundering and tax evasion” against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and members of his family before investigating over 200 other Pakistanis named in the Panama Papers.

Speaking at a news conference last week, PTI Chairman Imran Khan had stated that the commission would take 10 years to investigate all the 200 Pakistanis (named in Panama leaks) when their 200 lawyers would appear before it.

Similarly, the opposition parties say that there has been no mention of the “international forensic auditors” and no reference to “tax evasion” in the ToRs.

The Pakistan Bar Council in its meeting on Saturday called upon parliamentary parties to reach a consensus on the ToRs proposed by the government within a week. Failing which, the council suggested, the Supreme Court should convert the suo motu federal government’s letter into a petition under Article 184(3) of the Constitution and proceed.

The meeting had been convened to discuss the Panama leaks scandal as well as the April 22 federal government letter to Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali for the formation of a judicial commission under Section 3 of the Pakistan Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1956.

The council was unanimous that the Panama leaks had damaged the prestige of the country and, therefore, it was imperative that the issue be resolved in the larger public interest.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2016