President Mamnoon on Panama Gate

President Syed Mamnoon Hussain's pertinent and timely observation regarding Panama Gate needs to be read in the aura of uncertainties currently holding the country as hostage. Describing Panama Leaks as “national disaster”, the president rightly observed that nations involved in corruption do not progress.

“The Panama Gate is a natural trap. The bigger the thief is, the more luxuriant his life is. The corruption has adversely affected every institution of the country and now there is a need to launch collective efforts to eliminate this menace.” The president who rarely speaks and in the context of Panama Gate, his remarks seems to be pregnant of the events in the near future.

The judicial inquiry front too is stalemated. Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali on the government proposed Judicial Inquiry Commission, in his considered response to the request by the government for setting up a commission of inquiry headed by him to probe into the Panama Gate, pointed out that the ToRs incorporated in the notification for the formation of the commission were so wide and open-ended that, prima facie, it would take years together for the commission to conclude its proceedings.

In my article “Battle of ToRs,” ( May 7) I had stated that the debate on the ToRs had turned into war of attrition. Everything is back to where things started. The Opposition and the prime minister continue to be at loggerheads even after five weeks of the disclosure that prime minister indirectly and his siblings were directly involved in alleged money laundering through offshore accounts. Now the scenario has become murkier by Imran Khan’s confession that he too had set up an offshore company to evade taxes for buying a flat in London.

Opposition’s case is very simple. Whether to have offshore accounts and transfer money from Pakistan can be debated, it is in any case unpardonable and criminal if taxes are not given to the state on stacked off money in offshore accounts. It becomes morally more deplorable when such acts are committed by the prime minister or his family.

Panama Leaks-- a God given opportunity to hunt down the prime minister- has so far proved to be an exercise in futility—an open ended match in verbal diatribes. Even after much pressure from visible and invisible quarters and further erosion of his image, prime minister more so on his traditional confrontational path, seems to be determined not to give in to pressures on him to step down or concede to an in-house change.

The rejection by the Opposition of government’s Terms of References and counter-offensive by its own 15-point ToRs—has found adequate room in the chief justice’s response to prime minister’s letter requesting him for the formation of a judicial commission. The CJP has rightly observed that any commission appointed under the 1956 Act would be “toothless and useless.”

It has been rightly suggested that both the government and the Opposition should sit together to thrash out a workable and useful set of Terms of References. It would also be necessary to form the commission under a new legislation and not under the 1956 Act. Another bone of contention that needs to be decided is the parameter of the inquiry -- should it be specific to prime minister and his siblings or cover all those Pakistanis, their families or companies that have offshore accounts.

Accusations and counter-accusations by spin hyenas on both sides have made confusion worst confounded. Legal experts of the government were reportedly busy to draft a reply to the chief justice for satisfying his reservations. In some circles it is believed that it would be yet another exercise to delay the process of the accountability of the highest visibly caught in the act.

The more search for truth is delayed, greater will be the possibility of the prime minister getting entrapped. It is learnt that the Army Chief General Raheel Sharif has also conveyed to the prime minister wider concerns for earliest resolution of the Panama Leaks issue.

In his one-to-one meeting the other day Army Chief underscored the impact the controversy was having on the security imperatives confronting the country. It has been speculated in the media that under the shadow of being not on the same page between civil and military leadership over the much desired operation against suspected terrorist holes in Punjab, the advice given was to get over with the Panama Leaks scandal in consultation with the opposition soonest as sine quo non for national security.

Legal ground already much eroded, morally too it would be difficult to withstand the hostile winds getting stronger. Causalities among those prime ministers/presidents that have become victim to Panama’s fallout is increasing latest being the six-month suspension of Brazilian president on charges of corruption.

British Prime Minister David Cameron who narrowly escaped falling a victim to Panama Leaks, in his sponsored landmark anti-corruption summit (London, May 12) came down very heavily on corruption by leaders in power. Assuming the role of Knight Templar to crusade as a leader in a global anti-corruption drive, he did not name Pakistan but his mention of other Commonwealth countries means that Pakistan too be cornered.

In order to avoid such a predicament and international indictment, the prime minister should be convinced that the best course for him to get out of dilemma is to submit himself to the Parliament for accountability.

Te author is a former High Commissioner of Pakistan to UK during the PPP government.