Ayaz Sadiq also convenes opposition parties’ meeting on ToRs;
opposition releases 70 questions PM ought to reply; ends boycott of NA, Senate
ISLAMABAD: The government and opposition leaders on Tuesday met the National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq who later convened a meeting of the parliamentary leaders of the opposition parties today (Wednesday). The meeting will finalise the names from the opposition for the parliamentary committee to formulate the Terms of Reference (ToRs) for the judicial commission to probe the PanamaLeaks.
After the meeting the opposition leaders, the speaker had a meeting with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to pave the way for the early holding of a meeting between the two sides.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also made telephonic contact with Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah to invite him and other parliamentary leaders of the opposition to the National Assembly.
According to sources, the National Assembly speaker had already held consultations with senior ministers including Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rasheed on this issue on Tuesday to seek input from the government.
It is expected that following the meeting with parliamentary leaders of the opposition parties and government, the names for the committee would be finalised to formulate the ToRs for the judicial commission to probe the Panama Leaks.
The opposition also released 70 questions it had asked from the premier to the media. The News has already reported these questions in yesterday’s edition.
Earlier, the joint opposition decided to end its boycott of both the Houses of Parliament — the Senate and National Assembly — and said that it would attend the sittings of the ongoing sessions of both the Houses from today (Wednesday).
The decision was taken during a meeting by the joint opposition which was held on Tuesday. While at the same time, cracks appeared in the joint opposition as the MQM disassociated itself from the joint opposition on the issue of PanamaLeaks as it had strong reservations over some of the parties which were named in the PanamaLeaks.
According to sources, the MQM would finalise its separate course of action against the government for probe into the alleged illegal offshore companies owned by the premier’s family to evade taxes.
Besides taking the decision of ending the boycott of both the Houses, the joint opposition had also prepared a questionnaire which included 70 questions raising various points on alleged money laundering and offshore assets of the Sharif family.
The questions, prepared in consultation with legal experts, sought answers about the Sharif family’s offshore assets, tax payments and overseas properties held by PM’s sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz and daughter Maryam Safdar.
Prior to the joint opposition meeting, opposition leader Syed Khursheed Shah and PTI Deputy Parliamentary leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi held a meeting with Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and discussed the matter pertaining to the formation of a parliamentary committee and sought the names of members from the opposition in this regard.
During the meeting, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also urged them to return to the House.
While in a press talk after the joint opposition meeting, explaining the decision, Syed Khursheed Shah said, “How can we run away from the assembly? The assembly is our forum.” He said the opposition would raise questions over the prime minister’s address in the National Assembly. “It took ages for the prime minister to finally appear in the assembly,” he said.
Opposition Leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan said the prime minister’s speech in the assembly had raised several questions. “We will ask him questions in the assembly. If he does not reply, we will think of another plan of action.”
Shah Mehmood Qureshi said, “We are very serious in bringing to the public eye the thieves named by the Panama Papers.”
Senior leader of PML-Q Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said, “We will go to the assembly with a new set of questions.”
Meanwhile, talking separately with the newsmen, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said in the light of the letter of chief justice, powerful legislation and joint Terms of Reference (ToRs) for the PanamaLeaks probe should be made.
“Earlier, there were seven questions of the opposition to the prime minister which he himself had raised to 70 during his address to the National Assembly as these questions would add more to the worries of the government,” he said while talking to the media along with Senator Kamil Ali Agha and MNA Tariq Bashir Cheema outside the Parliament House.
He said whatever happened in the National Assembly session was the strategy of all the opposition parties. The Monday’s speech of the prime minister raised more ambiguity.
Responding to a question, Ch Pervez Elahi said the opposition had held consultations on new questions and would evolve a joint strategy. “Consultations are also being held about the suggestion of the prime minister for setting up of a parliamentary committee,” he added.
Opposition representatives, he said, had gone into the chamber on being called by the NA speaker and it was agreed that talks would be held about the ToRs.
In reply to another question, he said the address of the prime minister in the National Assembly was not different from his first, second and third addresses.