PM has no right to appoint commission: Durrani

Panama Leaks

Says only parliament has the right, responsibility
to appoint an inquiry commission for bringing forth the
truth about all Pakistanis named in Panama Papers

ISLAMABAD: Former information minister Muhammad Ali Durrani Friday said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had lost the constitutional, legal and moral justification to appoint any commission after his family was named in Panama Papers and now only

“Since his family has also been named in the Panama Leaks, the prime minister has lost constitutional, legal and moral justification to appoint any inquiry commission,” said Muhammad Ali Durrani while addressing a press conference at his residence here Friday.

He also announced to seek world support in second phase of anti-corruption movement from next week saying that he had been struggling since 2011 to bring back over $500 billion of looted money stashed in various hideouts in Western countries. “Today we have knocked at the door of Parliament on behalf of the Pakistani people and the God willing, the next phase of this struggle against the corruption jointly with the global alliance of over 140 countries against corruption would be launched next week,” he added.

He also suggested that ten years after the signing of a Charter of Democracy in London in 2006, the need was being felt that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should now also sign an anti-corruption charter while sitting in his Park Lane flat in London.

Muhammad Ali Durrani stressed that now this was the right and responsibility of the Parliament, which is constitutionally a supreme institution, to unanimously appoint an inquiry commission and determine its terms of reference (TORs) in a joint session for ascertaining the truth regarding Pakistanis named in the Panama Leaks.

The former senator argued if Parliament could unanimously adopt the Constitution of 1973, 18th Amendment and National Action Plan to curb terrorism, why it could not take a unanimous decision regarding those facing the charge of economic terrorism to bring back the looted national wealth to the country and stop once and for all the loot and plunder of the national exchequer.

He said the Parliament had a golden and historic opportunity to discharge its responsibility as the custodian of the Constitution and law to rid the country of political, constitutional and legal crises. “This will restore the public confidence in the Parliament and democracy,” he stressed.

Durrani said in accordance with the aspirations of the public, Parliament must rise against the looters and plunderers, who are responsible for the poverty and sense of deprivation among people of the country.

He said this was test of Parliament as well as the politicians and Parliament should play a role in dismantling the hideouts of economic terrorists. “Entangling the public in any political confrontation will amount to diverting the attention from recovery of the looted wealth. Now is the time to forge unity against the looters,” the former senator said.