Indirect contact established with Zardari, message conveyed to PM: Fazl

ISLAMABAD: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam -Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Friday said he has established indirect contact with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari whose response was positive that was conveyed to the prime minister.

The Maulana welcomed the formation of parliamentary committee on terms of reference (ToRs) on PanamaLeaks issue. Talking to the state-run TV, the JUI-F chief said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had presented himself for accountability on Panama Papers although his name was not mentioned in it.

Fazlur Rehman urged that ToRs should be prepared within the parameters of the Constitution of the country. He said some elements who have had offshore companies just wanted the prime minister’s accountability which was completely unjustified.

He said everyone should be held accountable without any discrimination. He said the opposition has right to hold peaceful protest on the issue but it should not manipulate the situation for point scoring. He said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had dual standards regarding accountability. “The politics of sit-ins weakened democracy in the country,” he maintained. The Maulana said his party firmly believes in ideological politics rather than levelling allegations on others.