ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The government representatives in the 12-member Parliamentary Committee formed to frame Terms of Reference (TORs) for the proposed Judicial Commission to probe Panama Leaks on Friday rejected the opposition-furnished 15 TORs.
In a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Panama Papers held in Islamabad on Friday, the two sides discussed 15 questions proposed by the joint opposition.
The government members, during the discussion, declined to accept 15 TORs of the opposition in the present form and proposed to submit fresh proposals. They also circulated among the members a document mentioning relevant legal provisions and comments relating to the opposition’s questions.
The opposition members said that they had proposed to drop question numbers 12 and 13 subject to the acceptance of the remaining 13 questions by the government members.
Later the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee ended but both sides agreed to continue its discussion on the TORs in subsequent meetings.
Talking to media after the meeting, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and opposition representative in the Committee Senator Aitzaz Ahsan said that they participated in the proceedings of the Committee with an open heart and mind.
Aitzaz Ahsan said that all names surfaced in Panama Papers should be investigated. He said that the opposition was united and they would stick to their demands.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said that the government wanted to conceal the corruption but they would not let it happen.
Sources said that the federal government proposed to the opposition that a new Inquiry Act 2016 be framed instead of applying Inquiry Act 1956. The government wanted a new system be established for a comprehensive investigation.
However, the opposition rejected government’s offer and asserted that investigation must be initiated from Panama Papers, sources said.
Meanwhile, the government included Zahid Hamid as one of its members of the Parliamentary Committee in place of Khawaja Muhammad Asif. There will be no ex-officio member of the Committee.
