PML-N decides to approach all parties

Panama Leaks issue

Vows to defend PM, his family at every forum; Shahbaz, Maryam,Salman also attend high-level meeting

ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in its consultative meeting on Thursday decided to approach all the political parties in  parliament on the Panama Leaks issue and get their proposals for the formation of a forum for investigation.

The meeting also decided to give a strong answer on all political fora to the allegations against the prime minister and his family members in the context of the Panama Leaks by some conspirators’ who are again out to find a way for toppling an elected government, sources told The News.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar chaired the meeting on Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s request. He gave tasks to various leaders of the PML-N to contact members of different political parties on the issue. It was decided that the PML will also approach Imran Khan and senior leadership of his party.

Ishaq Dar and Khawaja Asif will approach the PPP and PTI, Abdul Qadir Baloch and Senator Mushahidullah will approach the PML-Q and MQM, Mushahidullah and Pervaiz Rashid will approach Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Pervaiz Rashid will approach Sirajul Haq, Sardar Mehtab will contact the ANP and Aftab Sherpao, Zahid Hamid and Ashtar Ausaf will approach the legal fraternity and Ishaq Dar will also approach the chamber of commerce. The purpose of the contacts will be to build a consensus on a forum to probe the issue.

The importance of a high-level consultative meeting held at the Prime Minister’s House was augmented by the fact that the daughter of the PM, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, actively participated in it and lamented that the ‘conspirators’ and ‘depressed’ elements were again hatching conspiracies against the elected government. “We will bring the true picture before the people and the conspirators will again bite the dust,” she said.

She said the constitution of a judicial commission to probe the Panama Leaks would be a legal option but they would also foil the attempts of the opposition parties to defame the Sharif family in the political field.

Appreciating the role of the party members, Maryam said the PML-N had faced political conspiracies in the past on a number of occasions and always emerged victorious in all the crisis. She pointed out that she was attending the meeting as a political worker and it was her first appearance in any meeting to discuss a specific political issue.

Participants of the meeting endorsed her stance and maintained that those who are targeting the Sharif family to damage the PML-N government would not succeed in their designs.

A number of federal ministers also spoke on the occasion including Ishaq Dar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid, Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch and Mushahidullah Khan.

All the participants unanimously approved the terms of reference for the judicial commission that would probe the Panama Leaks. According to the approved terms of reference, a retired judge would head the commission who would act independently and can seek assistance from the local and foreign forensic experts.

All the government institutions would be bound to cooperate with the judicial commission during the inquiry into the allegations levelled by various quarters against the Sharif family, Pakistani businessmen and other political figures.

Salman Shahbaz Sharif specially participated in the meeting and gained much attention of the participants.

During the meeting, Ishaq Dar constantly remained in touch with the prime minister and got guidance from him.