Commission must hold Sharifs’ accountability first: opposition

Says another commission must be constituted for other matters; rejects govt ToRs for inquiry commission; to meet on May 2 for joint strategy on ToRs; PPP, PTI, MQM, PML-Q leaders hold meetings

ISLAMABAD: The opposition parties while rejecting the government’s Terms of Reference (ToR) for the inquiry commission on Monday said the commission should carry out accountability of the Sharif family first and then another commission should be constituted for other issues.

The opposition also reached a consensus to hold a joint opposition meeting on May 2 to come up with their own ToRs and to devise a joint strategy on the Panama Leaks.The meeting on May 2 is expected to be held at the residence of Opposition Leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan to form a joint stance on the ToRs.

The decision to hold a joint meeting of all the opposition parties was taken during a meeting of the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah and PTI’s Deputy Parliamentary Leader Shah Mehmood Quresh. The two had discussions on the investigation of the assets owned by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family.

Later, a PPP delegation comprising Syed Khursheed Shah, Aitzaz Ahsan and PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Saeed Ghani held a meeting with MQM’s Parliamentary Leader Dr Farooq Sattar and PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

It was decided in the meetings that the opposition would gather on May 2 to formulate its own ToRs that would be presented to the government.While talking to newsmen after the meeting with Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah said the prime minister’s moral position was weak now.

Syed Khursheed Shah said the government’s ToRs on the Panama Leaks inquiry commission could not be accepted adding if the accountability process was kicked off from the time of the country’s independence, it would take a century to be completed.

He also said that the government’s letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan regarding the inquiry commission was pointless as all the opposition parties had rejected it.Khursheed Shah said the opposition’s strategy on the issue would be decided on May 2.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi said if the government intended to introduce a capable commission to deal with the matter, it needed to take the opposition into confidence.He said that there was unanimity of views between the PPP and PTI on the Panama Leaks issue but the government was trying to segregate the opposition.

Qureshi said that both the parties were making collective efforts to deal with the issue.He also said that his thoughts on the matter were shared with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto by an unnamed friend.

The PTI leader said the parties thatPTI leader said that the parties which had rejected the ToRs would make the strategy for the future adding that the people of Sindh were equally troubled with the Panama Leaks issue as the Sindhis had always actively participated in every democratic movement.

Later, talking to media after the meeting with the PPP delegation, senior leader of the MQM Dr Farooq Sattar called for across the board accountability and national consultation to eradicate corruption from the country.

He said that he would hold consultations with members of MQM’s Coordination Committee about party’s position on Panama Papers. “MQM has always raised its voice against corruption but accountability must be without any discrimination,” he said.

He said the issue of probe into Panama Leaks was struck over ToRs. All political parties should be consulted on the matter of national importance.

Dr Farooq Sattar said that he informed the PPP about the challenges his party was facing in Karachi. “Nearly 60 MQM workers have been killed extra judicially and 170 are still missing,” he said.

PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan deplored the media ban of Lahore High Court (LHC) on broadcast of Altaf Hussain’s speeches. About Panama Papers, Aitzaz Ahsan said that accountability must begin from Prime Minister’s family.

Talking to newsmen after the meeting with the PPP delegation, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif talked about the accountability from 1947. “Thanks God, Nawaz Sharif did not call for starting the accountability from Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal,” he said and added that the accountability from 1947 clearly showed that the government was not interested in the process.

He said the ToRs for the commission should have been formulated with the consultation of the opposition and should be released to the media. “The PML-Q is on the same page with the PPP on the issue,” he said.

He said there was no outcome of the judicial commissions that was constituted so far and even the report of Hamoodur Rehman Commission was not released. Aitzaz Ahsan said the there was a consensus in the meeting for rejecting the government formulated ToRs. “The nation wants to know how such big amount was sent out of the country and the flats were purchased,” he added. He reiterated his demand that the accountability should be started from the Prime Minister and his family.