ISLAMABAD: The government and the opposition still appear to be poles apart on what the latter calls the “core business” about an investigation into Panamagate.

The nine-party opposition alliance feels that any investigation into the alleged scandal should deal first with the financial affairs of the prime minister’s family.

The government wants to widen the scope of the probe to loan defaulters and those who are accused of transferring money earned through corruption and kickbacks.

A 12-member parliamentary committee met on Thursday but its members initially had little to share with media, except saying that it was a good beginning. But in their subsequent media interactions, the two sides differed on key questions.

Meanwhile, the members of the committee violated their own decision taken on Wednesday that the proceedings would remain in camera.

First Senator Ishaq Dar told media that the committee had agreed on a four-point preamble and the opposition had been persuaded to review its 15 questions, instead of withdrawing a couple of them.

When the opposition learned that TV channels were airing Mr Dar’s views, they decided to tell their side of the story.

Senator Aitzaz Ahsan told the media: “We had no intention of speaking about today’s deliberations assuming that it is an in camera meeting.

“Yes, there is an agreement on the preamble passed by the two houses in the form a motion, but it is the committee which has to prioritise its work.”

The PPP leader said the two questions which the opposition had agreed to review were about inclusion of the name of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the proposed terms of reference (ToR) and perks and privileges which the Sharif family had received during their stay in Saudi Arabia.

“The government is insisting on the same ToR which the Supreme Court has already rejected and until it doesn’t review its position, there will be no progress,” Mr Ahsan said, adding that the opposition continued to stick to its ToR.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi of the PTI said the main business of the committee was to formulate ToR over which the two sides had serious differences. “The government wants to kick up a lot of dust so that the real issue of Panama Papers gets lost somewhere, whereas we want specific investigation.” He said agreeing on one or two points was not an issue because in the end the committee would have to take the decision in totality.

PML-N leader and Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq said the committee had been constituted because Panamagate was a complicated issue. He said the investigation was to be carried out under laws and the Constitution of the country.

“We cannot spare those who have owned offshore companies in the past. If somebody has broken the law, he/she will be taken to task,” he said.

The minister claimed that the Supreme Court in its letter to the government had not rejected its ToR, but had given an opinion and “we respected that”.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2016