ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf will hold a meeting on Tuesday to review developments related to Panama Papers leaks.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi will preside over the meeting.

The meeting, according to media wing of the PTI, will discuss party’s contacts with other political parties over seeking support for formation of a commission headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan to investigate the matter related to offshore companies involving the family of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Mr Qureshi is heading PTI’s political committee set up to reach out to other political parties for a wide-ranging probe into Panama leaks.

The meeting, the PTI said, would also talk about controversial statements being made by members of PM’s cabinet over his stay in the United Kingdom.

Minister for Water and Power Khwaja Asif said recently that the prime minister could stay in London for over a month, but Minister of State Abid Sher Ali said that Mr Sharif would return in a week or so.

The government is preparing the ground for a commission headed by a retired judge, while the opposition is insisting that the commission should be headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

PTI spokesperson Naeemul Haq said whosoever was assigned the responsibility of investigating the matter all facts must be brought before the masses and all stakeholders be taken on board.

When asked what the PTI would do if the government and PPP agreed to a certain mode of investigation, he said his party only wanted a free and fair inquiry acceptable to everybody.

When pressed what if the PML-N and PPP reached an agreement, for example over a parliamentary probe, Mr Haq said: “I cannot comment on such a scenario at the moment.”

A senior PTI leader told Dawn that his party was not certain if the PPP would continue its stand against a commission headed by a retired judge, so “we will discuss at Tuesday’s meeting the option of taking forward the campaign against the government single-handedly”.

He said the names of PPP Senators Rehman Malik and Usman Saifullah had appeared in the Panama Papers and the top leadership of that party had been accused in the past of running offshore companies, therefore, “I believe that eventually the PPP will join hands with the government for a toothless inquiry”.

In reply to a question, he said: “As far as Imran Khan is concerned he will not let the issue go just like that.”

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2016

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