ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties on Monday impressed upon the government the need for a review of its position on the formulation of terms of reference (ToR) for the proposed Panama Papers inquiry commission, making it clear that otherwise they would be left with no option but to take to the streets.

Speaking at a press conference at his residence along with leaders of other opposition parties, PPP Senator Aitzaz Ahsan said that if the government continued to resist free and fair probe into the Panama Papers leaks, next time the PTI and PPP leadership could be on the same container to lead anti-government demonstrations.

He, however, explained that a final decision to join hands with PTI chairman Imran Khan for the launch of an anti-government movement would be taken by the PPP leadership.

Mr Ahsan, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, made these remarks when asked if the PPP and PTI leaders would coordinate with each other for a possible post-Eid campaign against the government.

Saad Rafiq sees ‘targeted killing of PML-N’

The PPP senator repeatedly said that they were for a uniform implementation of ToR after it was agreed with the government that all those whose names had appeared in the Panama Papers would be investigated. Explaining one basic part of the investigations, Mr Ahsan said since it involved international banking transactions, the accused would have to allow the access to certain documents about the purchase and sale of their properties.

However, he reiterated, the investigation should start with the prime minister and his family.

Opposition’s demands

The veteran PPP leader presented six demands which he said opposition parties were willing to discuss with the government if it could positively respond to them.

First, he said, the proposed commission should be unlike the ones the country had in the past which produced no worthwhile result in the end. The new commission should investigate the financial crime which had been allegedly committed to set up offshore companies.

Second, the opposition parties wanted a special law covering the fiscal crime, under which the entire investigation process should be completed.

Third, the scope of inquiry should be extended to the immediate family members of those people who were supposed to be investigated in the aftermath of Panama Papers leaks.

Fourth, Mr Ahsan explained, the burden of proof was always on the accused and in this case, the prime minister and his three children were in the dock.

The opposition parties are of the view that the proposed law should uniformly apply to all the accused, he said.

Presenting the sixth demand, Mr Ahsan said that first of all the prime minister should get his name cleared from the proposed investigations.

He recalled the prime minister’s two televised addresses to the nation and a speech in the National Assembly in which he had pleaded innocence against allegations of money laundering and corruption. “One thing which I am still unable to understand is if the prime minister has nothing to hide then why is he running away from the investigations,” asked Mr Ahsan.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi of the PTI said people must understand that opposition parties were seeking a meaningful probe while the government wanted to kick up the dust in the name of investigations so that the real issue was lost.

In response to a question, he said that only the ANP was not present at Friday’s meeting in which it had been decided to hold this press conference to take people into confidence about the opposition parties’ point of view on the ToR.

Sheikh Rashid said that by resisting formulation of ToR, the government was only asking for more trouble because in that case decisions would be made on the roads.

Govt shrugs off presser

The government ministers said there was no need for the opposition to hold the press conference as the latter had nothing new to share with the general public.

Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq said that in the garb of Panama Papers leaks, opposition parties were busy doing the ‘targeted killing of PML-N’.

Minister of State for Information Technology Anusha Rehman said it should be left to the courts to decide who to try first.

Mr Rafiq claimed that opposition parties stood divided over the issue of ToR, adding that it was only Aitzaz Ahsan who was pushing ahead with his stand against the prime minister.

He expressed the hope that opposition parties would not take the situation to a point where it hurt the democratic dispensation.

Late in the evening, PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai met Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah of the PPP.

A PPP source said the meeting could be regarding the ToR issue, since the party had taken a tough stand against the government.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2016