SWABI: Local leaders of political parties here are anxiously waiting for the Supreme Court verdict in Panama Papers case, saying that all important issues and their future line of action are linked with the verdict.

In a chat with this scribe here on Wednesday, they said that the apex court concluded the hearings and had reserved its judgment in the case. They hoped that the decision of the apex court would come soon which was expected to mark a new political era in the country.

They said that the verdict should be acceptable to all and it must be implemented to the letter.

Qaumi Watan Party district chairman Masood Jabar said that some of the extremely important issues like merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been put on hold and the entire focus was shifted to the verdict in the Panama Papers case.

“The momentum of the Fata-KP merger has already been lost,” he said.

Anwar Haqdad, PTI district president, said that their party had initiated the campaign for accountability because PTI chief Imran Khan wanted eradication of corruption from the country.

Iftikhar Ahmad Khan, PMLL-N president, said that the PTI leadership should shun the politics of confrontation and help the government in strengthening the country’s economy.

SAFETY COMMISSION: Lawyers here on Wednesday opposed the proposal of the provincial home and tribal affairs department to abolish the Provincial Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission.

Mohammad Rashid, former president of Swabi Bar Association, and other lawyers said that it was a wrong proposal to abolish this vital commission.

They said that IGP Salahuddin Mehsud in a meeting at Mardan had said that they wanted to strengthen these bodies and the dispute resolution councils because they had reduced the burden on police.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2017