Panama Papers issue
Says extension in military courts only after
developing consensus of political parties
ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Friday said though he had received the privilege motion against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on allegedly telling a lie in the Parliament on the Panama issue yet he did not want to make any comment on it as the case is already being heard in the Supreme Court.
“It is apex court which had to decide whether the prime minister’s statement is correct or wrong,” he said while an informal talk with the Parliamentary Reporters Association at his Parliament House Chamber.
The Combined Opposition including Opposition leader Syed Khursheed Shah, PPP Parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Syed Naveed Qamar, deputy Parliamentary leader of PTI Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Parliamentary leader of Jammat-e-Islami Sahibzad Tariqullah, AFtab Sherpao of QWP, Tariq Bashir Cheema of PML-Q, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour of ANP and Dr Shireen Mazari of the PTI have filed the Privilege Motion against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday allegedly for lying in the Parliament on the Panama issue.
Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said after receiving the privilege motion, so far he has only initially studied it and will make any decision after detailed study whether to kill the privilege motion in his chamber or in the house. “This issue would be taken up in the meeting of Business Advisory Committee of the House and it was my privilege to reject any motion either in my chamber or in the house,” he said.
He said it was his responsibility to run the house according to the rules and procedure and if the opposition creates hurdles in the smooth sailing of the house then it will affect the private members day.
To a question regarding the extension of military courts, the Speaker said two detailed sessions of the Parliamentary leaders of the National Assembly were held in which this issue was discussed. ”The issue of extension of military courts is an issue of national interest and in both the meetings there was consensus among all the political parties that there would be no politics on this issue,” he said.
He said in the last meeting of the parliamentary leaders on the issue of extension of military courts, Law Minister Zahid Hamid gave detailed briefing on the performance of military courts and some new questions rose, which would be replied in the next meeting on January 31.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said the constitutional amendment for extension in the military courts will only be made when the consensus developed among the political parties.
Asked about the opposition proposal of convening the in-camera joint session of both the houses of the Parliament, the NA Speaker said the government and opposition will have to decide on it.
In reply to a question with regard to quorum issue in the National Assembly due to absence of the prime minister, the Speaker said he could not dictate any party to come in the house or not. “It is the duty of the parliamentary parties to bring their members into the house,” he said.
In a reply to a question regarding sending of references to the Election Commission of Pakistan, he said he had sent all the references to the Election Commission of Pakistan as per rules and procedure.
Talking about the receiving of fake TDR from SME banks worth of Rs100 million along with other parliamentarians including Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabban, Opposition Leaders of both the Houses of Parliament—Syed Khursheed Shah and Aitzaz Ahsan—and parliamentary leaders including JUI-F head Maulana Fazalur Rehman, the Speaker National Assembly said he was in London when his office received the fake TDR from the bank through courier and when the staff informed him about this he immediately directed the staff to write a letter to State Bank of Pakistan and FIA about it as he did not have any bank account of the bank in Karachi. “I made a telephonic contact with Governor State Bank of Pakistan asking him to investigate the banking fraud but the governor replied that the SBP is not investigating body,” he added.
The Speaker said he asked the Governor State Bank of Pakistan that the SBP is a regulatory body and should wake up to examine this issue.
Asked whether Imran Khan also received such a fake banking receipt, he said it was not in his knowledge but only knew that besides him, Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabban, Opposition Leaders of both the Houses of Parliament—Syed Khursheed Shah and Aitzaz Ahsan—and parliamentary leaders including JUI-F head Maulana Fazlur Rehman had received the fake banking receipt.