HYDERABAD: Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that he doesn’t see any seriousness in the parliamentary committee on terms of reference (ToRs) for the Panama Papers leaks issue.

Speaking to the media and the High Court Bar Association (HCBA), Hyderabad chapter, on Thursday, he lauded the lawyer fraternity’s struggle for the supremacy of the Constitution and restoration of democracy.

“History shows that the bench did compromise over democracy but the bar never did so,” he observed, and made mention of the incumbent SC chief justice’s recent statement in which he wondered “whether it is democracy or kingdom”.

He said that institutions and departments in the country were not delivering; quality of prosecution and conviction rate remained below par; and litigants had to approach feudal lords instead of courts for justice.

Mr Qureshi claimed that finance minister could not present budget without seeking its approval from the IMF. “The budget speech is dictated in the IMF officials’ meeting in Dubai,” he said.

According to the PTI leader, the agriculture sector has collapsed and farming is no longer a profitable profession. Youths do not find any opening in Pakistan.

About Panama leaks, Mr Qureshi said “the nation wants to know as to who own $200 billion kept in Swiss banks and whether anyone will bring the money back to the national exchequer”.

Institutions like the FIA, anti-corruption establishment and National Accountability Bureau could not hold prime minister accountable and that’s why setting up of a judicial commission was demanded to ensure a transparent probe with the assistance of some international forensic audit firm, he said, and added that opposition parties tried to prepare consensus ToRs with the government side but four sittings of the parliamentary committee hit a deadlock because some political elements did not want a transparent accountability to be held. “They are the same elements who earned billions through commissions.”

Mr Qureshi said that the Supreme Court Bar Association and Pakistan Bar Council also appeared not satisfied with the government’s ToRs and the Punjab Bar Council had given a 15-day deadline to the political leadership to finalise acceptable ToRs warning that if it failed, the lawyer fraternity would handle the matter on its own.

“Under the prevailing situation, lawyers will have to side with those political forces which seek a transparent accountability.”

Later, speaking to journalists in the local press club, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that his party’s preferred option was an autonomous judicial commission to be set up under a new law.

The probe should be backed by internationally reputable forensic firm, he said.

He predicted that by the end of current fiscal year, prices of all commodities would go up as inflation would shoot up to 6.5 per cent from 3.5 per cent by the end of the next fiscal year.

The PTI leader observed that the government was dependent on law-enforcement agencies in dealing with various affairs which depicted its failure. “The army is asked to help restore peace in Karachi, handle with Chhotu gang in Rajanpur and conduct a population census, etc.

Mr Qureshi said that the 7th National Finance Commission Award had already completed its term, and asked the finance minister to explain as to why the upcoming budget was not based on the new NFC award. He noted that the process of local government elections in Sindh and Punjab remained incomplete and LG institutions existed only on paper.

In reply to a question, he sarcastically asked “why people of Sindh remain under the influence of a particular group and why they have mortgaged themselves to it?” He said they should break shackles and reject those who did not come up to their expectations after coming to power.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2016