Opposition moot focuses on selective accountability

ISLAMABAD: The focus of much-touted but inconclusive deliberations of the opposition parties was on the selective accountability, centred on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family as against the government’s stand calling for across-the-board process for all and sundry simultaneously.

However, the opposition’s point that the premier should convene a joint session of the parliament where he should lay bare each and every detail of his and his other family members’ assets, tax payments, funds remitted abroad etc., sounds plausible. It will be prudent on the part of the government not to dismiss offhand this demand as inconsequential. The legislature is the source of strength of parliamentary force as well as democratic dispensation.

But it may be quickly pointed out that Nawaz Sharif’s assets are already with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which were made public a few days back. Like all other MPs, he has also been filing his assets and liabilities’ statement with the ECP every year.

If the premier agrees to summon the parliament and present his assets there, he would be just repeating what he has already disclosed in his declaration submitted to the ECP.

The brief joint communiqué issued by the opposition parties at the end of their three-hour long discussions clearly reflected that they failed to reach consensus on many vital points like the one relating to the prime minister’s resignation.

This demand apparently stood dropped in absence of an agreement as far as Monday’s session was concerned. Even during their future conversations, no accord is on the cards.

However, the opposition parties were unanimous in rejecting the Terms of Reference (ToRs) sent by the government to Supreme Court Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali for the inquiry commission under his chairmanship and comprising serving judges. But they were unable to come out with their own ToRs.

For the past one month, they are just doing politics with the government leaders responding to it forcefully, but have not done any homework. They have been pounding the prime minister with bombastic statements every now and then, they showed no capacity to match the government’s concrete effort i.e. ToRs.

When such a motley crowd assembles, quick consensus on many vital points is not easy because every party has its own policy vis-à-vis the government and the democratic system. For the same reason, the present session hit snags. While some of its partners were vigorous in demanding Nawaz Sharif’s resignation, others weren’t totally opposed to this extreme call. This emerged as a major roadblock in working out a prompt consensus.

It is also possible that the opposition gathering wanted to wait for the decision of the chief justice on the government’s ToRs and its request to constitute the inquiry commission. It was expected Justice Jamali may come with his determination on Monday.

At the same time, some participants stressed that the inquiry should be carried out in all the offshore companies of Pakistani politicians and businessmen and the probe should not be confined to the prime minister only. This was a fair argument.

The opposition’s demand that the accountability should start from the prime minister but it should cover all those whose offshore shells were identified in the Panama Papers leaks is absolutely akin to what Nawaz Sharif has repeatedly declared that the process should begin from him and his family.

The conference of the loose joint opposition parties made it clear that the two sides can hammer out their differences on the ToRs if they sit together to work out an agreement. However, it will be a frivolous demand to strike off the clause relating to written off loans from the official ToRs. Comprehensive ruthless accountability has to be conducted to close the blame-game once and for all.