In politics, they say, time is of the essence, and as political temperatures rise in the aftermath of the Panama Papers leak, both the government and the opposition are looking forward to the advent of the holy month of Ramazan, albeit for different reasons.

Traditionally, the pace of life and government business slows down considerably in Ramazan, and when it is coupled with the hot summer months, most people prefer to spend time at home with their families.

But why are both sides working on different strategies in the run-up to the holy month? At the moment, they are far removed on the issue of the terms of reference (ToR) for the proposed judicial commission which will investigate all Pakistanis named in the Panama Papers leak, including the prime minister’s three children.

But it seems, at least from the government’s point of view, that they are in no mood to give the opposition what they have been demanding.

“Frankly speaking, everybody in the ruling party is waiting for Ramazan to start, as things will automatically slow down, and a month is a long time in politics,” said a PML-N lawmaker. He said that the publication of more Pakistani names, including individuals associated with the PTI, who were named in the Panama Papers, the pressure on the Sharifs had eased to a certain extent.

But, he maintained, that the onset of Ramazan will give the party leadership a much-needed breather if opposition parties, and especially the PTI, don’t decide to go off on a tangent.

“Our strategy at the moment,” a cabinet minister explained, “is to engage the opposition, perhaps at the joint parliamentary committee-level, for talks to formulate ToR that are acceptable to both sides.”

The budget is due in a few weeks, which requires the complete attention of the prime minister’s Mr Fix-It – Finance Minister Ishaq Dar – so the best way forward for the government right now would be to sit across the table and negotiate with the opposition, he said.

By doing so, the government will achieve two objectives, the PML-N legislator explained. For one, instead of delivering lengthy speeches, both outside and inside parliament, opposition leaders will be engaged in the talks, which will help the government side to further strengthen its case.

The minister admitted that Panamagate was turning into a big ask for the government, particularly after the PTI and PPP joined hands.

“After the prime minister agreed to form an inquiry commission under a serving judge, we hoped the opposition would cool down. But instead, they came up with their own set of ToRs,” the minister explained, saying that the opposition seemed to be in no mood to go easy on the government.

The opposition, for its part, has no other choice but to use the Panama Papers to put as much pressure on the government as they can.

Both, PTI Chairman Imran Khan and young PPP leader Bilawal Zardari Bhutto, have been busy addressing public rallies where their main target is Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Inside parliament, parliamentary leaders of both parties have been hitting out at the prime minister – day in and day out – for not coming clean on how his children managed to set-up offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands.

“Yes, we are aware that Ramazan is approaching fast and that the government need to prepare for the budget, therefore, we will squeeze the government as much as we can to ensure free and fair investigations into the Panama leaks,” a PTI MAN told Dawn.

The PTI lawmaker was of the view that his party would keep up the pressure until the issue of the leaks was taken to its logical conclusion. However, he was quick to add that the coming few weeks were of utmost importance, as they would determine how things play out after Eid.

For example, the PTI leader explained, if the government agreed to investigations before Ramazan began, the opposition would have no choice but to await the outcome. Otherwise, Imran Khan would most probably continue with his countrywide campaign, highlighting how the ruling family has been trying to run away from a probe.

The pre-Ramazan time slot is also important because it will determine whether the nine-party opposition political alliance can stick to their demand for a forensic audit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s assets.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2016