Sincerity must to quickly construct consensus ToRs

ISLAMABAD: The parliamentary committee will need a considerable time to tie up the Terms of Reference (ToRs) for the judicial commission to probe offshore companies, written off loans and corruption for different reasons, if it failed to conclude them during the next week.

Resultantly, the row, though now at a relatively low intensity, teed off by Panama Papers disclosures, will remain unresolved. Given the prevailing political culture, devoid of good old norms and values, the controversy will linger till the commission will come out with its findings.

The elaborate preoccupation of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who heads the government team of interlocutors, with giving final touches to the federal budget, its unveiling in the National Assembly on June 3 by him, the following debate on it in this parliamentary chamber as well as the Senate, and the advent of the holy month of Ramadan in the first week of next month have been identified as some of the factors that will likely delay the conclusion of its report by the committee.

Over and above these considerations is the sincerity of the two sides in the parliamentary forum to quickly wrap up the final consensus recommendations, especially after some topmost leaders, most of them belonging to an opposition party, have emerged as owners of offshore shells either in the Panama leaks or otherwise. If they lacked seriousness to swiftly conclude their deliberations, engaging in a blame-game, accusing each other of delaying tactics, an unending time will be consumed and the matter will keep dragging.

Leader of opposition Syed Khursheed Shah has asked the government to begin the talks from Monday. The negotiators will have only next week, if the parley actually starts on that day, to firm up their unanimous recommendations otherwise the issue will linger. After that, President Mamnoon Hussainn will deliver his annual address to a joint session of parliament on June 2. Next day, the federal budget will be presented in the National Assembly. Next three weeks will be needed for debate on the budget that will end by the beginning of the second half of the holy month. Activities substantially drop in the remaining half of Ramadan with several MPs leaving for Saudi Arabia to perform Umra.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s apparent high-pitched public campaign apart, his party doesn’t seem as exceedingly enthusiastic to rapidly decide the ToRs, as it was before, after the surfacing of offshore companies of the maximum number of its top leaders among all the political forces. It has earned the dubious distinction of standing first among the political parties in this sense.

The Nawaz Sharif government, which became very nervous and panicky after the Panama Papers revelations chiefly because of the appearance of offshore companies of the prime minister’s children, doesn’t feel under as much pressure as it was earlier. At the time, it was ostensibly caught unawares. Side by side preparing itself to meet the challenge, it found respite and redemption in the detection of offshore shells of its main attacker. As a result, the thrust of the heated debate that was previously focused on the first family has markedly dispersed, bringing relief to the government.

While it is broadly understood that there will be many ups and downs in the impending talks in the parliamentary committee, Ishaq Dar Saturday spoke his mind when he said investigation will have to be conducted about every issue, obviously alluding to the offshore companies not included in the Panama Papers. “Why shouldn’t we talk about probe against those who got their loans written off?”

The government has also been busy putting its act together on the political front. It has almost neutralized the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) by supporting its inclusion in the parliamentary body when the opposition was resisting it. Additionally, the visit of Nawaz Sharif, accompanied by his wife Kulsoom, and son Hussain, to former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s Lahore residence to congratulate him on the recovery of his son Ali Haider may also help moderate the attack by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) or at least the ex-premier on the government.

After Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif paid a similar visit to Gilani’s house a few days back, the former prime minister had toned down his rhetoric against the government. He had even clarified a statement of PPP chief Bilawal in which the latter had loudly demanded resignation of the prime minister. In fact, Gilani retracted Bilawal’s declaration made at an election rally in Kotli, Azad Kashmir.

In contrast, Imran Khan’s ominous statement made at his Faisalabad rally that he would go alone for agitation over the offshore companies even if some component parties of the joint opposition grouping were bought off by Nawaz Sharif would not cement unity in the fragile coalition. It would make them wary of his approach. Some of them may sharply react to his declaration.