LAHORE: National As­­sembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has indicated that the ruling PML-N will never accept the opposition’s de­­mand for restricting the terms of reference to the Panama Papers leaks.

“The ToR will not remain restricted to just Panama leaks, rather it will also encompass bank loans de­­fault and corruption cases,” Mr Sadiq told journalists outside the residence of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in Defence here on Sunday.

The speaker visited the Gilanis to congratulate them on the safe recovery of Ali Haider, son of the ex-premier, from Taliban custody after three years.

He told a questioner that the parliamentary committee that would finalise the ToR stood incomplete as the opposition had submitted its nominations while the government was yet to do the job. But he hastened to add that the government had conveyed the names verbally and expressed the hope that he would receive the nominations in writing on Monday.

Playing down his role in the process, Mr Sadiq said he would only facilitate meetings of the committee and would not be a part of it.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2016