ISLAMABAD: There is many a slip between the cup and the lip before actual investigation into offshore companies will be kicked off any soon, despite a broad agreement between Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and leader of opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on formulating a fresh law.
In reality, the two sides already had no difference of opinion on having a new law in place of the Pakistan Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1956, which the Supreme Court described as ineffective for the gigantic task of looking into the offshore shells. The fresh law will be greatly strengthened.
The real scramble between the government and opposition would focus on the contents and wordings of the fresh law since the inquiry, if any, into the offshore firms will be carried out in accordance with it.
The opposition’s effort will be to incorporate in the new law the main points of its controversial Terms of Reference (ToRs), which chiefly consist of a questionnaire. On the other hand, the government will insist that the law should be expansive so as it is applicable to all and sundry, across the board, in the years to come as well, so that corruption cases could be inquired into by a judicial commission.
Khursheed Shah, who takes a relatively soft or rational line in seeking an agreement with the government on preparing the unanimous ToRs, is, however, largely helpful in making other leaders of his Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) especially Aitzaz Ahsan to buy his opinion.
When it comes to the talks of the opposition representatives with the government in the ambit of the bipartisan parliamentary committee, the PPP man is Aitzaz Ahsan, who has his own line to pursue, which is obviously approved by a section of his party.
Khursheed Shah stated that the schedule of resumption of dialogue in the framework of the committee will be finalized in consultation with Aitzaz Ahsan. This clearly shows that he wants to have him on board for re-start of parleys and considers his consent and input utmost important.
Apart from a small band of PPP leaders, Aitzaz Ahsan has locked horns with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, which affects the overall relationship of his party with the federal government. This situation also impacts the negotiations within the parliamentary forum on the ToRs.
The talk of framing the new law has begun when the once immense pressure on the government on the question of probe into the offshore companies has greatly evaporated. In the initial days of the emergence of the Panama Papers disclosures in April, the government was on the back foot. That was the opportune time to force it into hammering an agreement on the ToRs. But this opportunity was somehow frittered away as some opposition representatives pressed demands that were not acceptable to the other side come what may.
As the discussion in the parliamentary panel earlier collapsed after eight rounds with the unilateral boycott of the PTI and PPP with their other colleagues disapproving their policy, the loosely knit joint opposition comprising nine parties failed to remain a cogent and united force to be reckoned with.
The PTI launched its solo flight by beginning its protest called “movement for accountability”, which, however, has proved deeply lacklustre. The two shows it has held so far have failed to create any worthwhile impact amid universal opinion that people’s participation in its protests has drastically gone down.
Even the PPP, which was speculated to be on the side of the PTI in the street agitation with Bilawal to be standing with Imran Khan on the same shipping container, has stayed away from the protest. Other political parties, which were part of the so called opposition alliance, have been totally nonchalant. In fact, they have been opposing the public protest saying that inquiry into the offshore companies will be possible only through a negotiated agreement on the ToRs and not through street agitation.
This discord among the opposition parties obviously benefited the government and hurt the cause of the other side. In fact, after the demand of seeking investigation into the offshore shells having been relegated to a position of less importance, there are little or no prospects that the government will agree to concede anything substantial. However, the PTI and PPP would insist on getting maximum while their other opposition colleagues would not join their voice. Amid this scenario, the dialogue is unlikely to go ahead to be productive.