LAHORE: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has instructed Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to make another effort – while showing “maximum flexibility” – to develop a consensus on terms of reference (ToR) with opposition parties so that an inquiry commission could be constituted to probe the leads provided by the Panama Papers.

Also, the prime minister asked Mr Dar to finalise the names for membership of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), keeping in mind Opposition Leader Khurshid Shah’s recommendations.

The prime minister gave these instructions in a meeting with Ishaq Dar and Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed at his Jatti Umra residence on Monday, confirmed Mr Rasheed while talking to Dawn.

The prime minister’s instructions for showing the maximum flexibility for the consensus with opposition parties on the ToR have come soon after Mr Dar announced that he would make public the ToR framed by both the government and the opposition.

Approves Khurshid Shah’s nominees for ECP if they are of good character

However, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Secretary General Jahangir Khan Tareen has asserted that the PTI would not retreat on its stance on the ToR. He reiterated in a meeting with the media here on Monday that Panama Leaks was not a conspiracy against the prime minister or any other person but a report published at the international level wherein heads of states of different countries, including Pakistan, were ‘accused’ of having offshore companies to stash ill-gotten money. He said the heads of states of various countries had presented themselves for accountability but Nawaz Sharif had failed to do so.

“The PML-N and the incumbent government are not serious about the probe against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,” he said and added the PTI decided to go for the agitation movement after the government committee, headed by Ishaq Dar, did not respond positively.

With regard to the appointment of the ECP members, Mr Dar briefed the prime minister that he had held a meeting with Opposition Leader in National Assembly Khurshid Shah to discuss the names finalised by the prime minister. As Mr Dar is scheduled to hold another meeting with Mr Shah within a few days, the prime minister stressed that the talks should be ‘result-oriented’.

The prime minister, according to Mr Pervaiz Rasheed, gave a go-ahead to Mr Dar to consider the names proposed by the opposition leader, provided these nominees had impeccable character.

“The ECP members should be appointed after a complete consensus (between the government and the opposition parties),” he said. Mr Dar also briefed the prime minister on the latest position of country’s economy.

Mr Rasheed also told Dawn that he had briefed the prime minister on the political situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in the wake of elections scheduled on July 21.

“It was important to update the prime minister on the political situation in the AJK because he was away for the past seven weeks and only little over than a week was left before the polls campaign was wrapped up,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2016