KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) anti-corruption drive is "not targeting individuals" and is being launched in Sindh "by chance", party leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi assured Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah on Monday.
The drive is geared towards garnering public and political support, Shah Mehmood told Khursheed Shah during a meeting in his parliament chambers, a party source told DawnNews.
Qureshi said the PTI was reluctant to participate in any "propaganda exercise". He said that the message had also been communicated to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari "through a friend".
PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday announced the party would launch an anti-corruption movement in Sindh starting April 26.
Imran had announced during the party's Foundation Day celebrations on Sunday that it would launch an anti-corruption movement in Sindh starting April 26.
In the run-up to the 20th Foundation Day celebrations, the PTI attempted to garner support from opposition parties for its plans for a 'Raiwind March' protesting the Sharif family's ownership of offshore companies revealed by the Panama Papers.
However, the PTI was on the back foot when, despite meetings with PPP leadership, the opposition party shied away from committing to the march, with sources in the party earlier saying they would not join hands with the PTI prematurely unless there was an inquiry by the judicial commission and international forensic experts.
PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi earlier met with Aitzaz Ahsan, Khursheed Shah and Saleem Mandviwalla of the PPP, but Aitzaz at the time said the party was unable to commit to the PTI as "the party has not shared their strategy".
"We appreciate them taking us on board, but we can’t make a commitment yet because maybe they have some other strategy in mind," Aitzaz had said.
Since then, however, the PPP appears to have done a u-turn as Khursheed Shah, while speaking to the press on Monday, said the commission should specifically investigate allegations against the Prime Minister and his family.
Shah expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed Terms of Reference (ToRs) for the judicial commission probing the Panama Papers, claiming the the ToRs were drafted without the Opposition’s input.
Instead of opening up all corruption cases since 1947, “which would take 100 years”and not produce actual results, the commission should focus on Nawaz as he is the PM, Shah said.
It is pertinent to mention that, directly or indirectly, the names of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, her nephew Hassan Ali Jaffery, Senator Rehman Malik, Senator Javed Pasha, and others have emerged in relation to the Panama Papers.
