All focus is on Nawaz not on accountability 

ISLAMABAD: The government and the opposition’s stance on the Panama Papers related the ToRs is least focused on accountability but is all about the power tussle between the two sides focused on the ‘Save-Nawaz’ and ‘Get-Nawaz’ campaigns.

While the government is adamantly resisting any move to include the name of the prime minister in the ToRs for a probe by the judicial commission, the opposition is hell-bent on starting the investigation from Nawaz Sharif.

The opposition, particularly the Imran Khan-led PTI and Bilawal Zardari Bhutto’s PPP, are eager to see Nawaz Sharif out of power and for the same reason they have taken the position of starting the probe from the prime minister. Neither of these parties is pressing for any reliable, independent and trustworthy accountability system.

Imran Khan has said it more than once that the Panama Papers is an opportunity to  become harsh on the government and has said that the Pakistan People’s Party will not reconcile with Nawaz Sharif.

Ignoring the long-drawn-out bad blood between the PPP and the PTI, Bilawal has now also indicated of cooperating fully with Tehrik-e-Insaaf against Nawaz Sharif. Without naming the PTI, Bilawal Tuesday said, “We will stand with the opposition. We will be there whenever they need us.”

After Imran Khan has already announced to go for street agitation if the opposition’s ToRs are not accepted by the government, Bilawal has also warned if the parliamentary forum does not prove fruitful they will approach the public. “If the government does not accept the opposition ToRs the party will have to opt for other options,” he said.

In all these statements and discussions of the opposition, there is no mention of any demand for establishing any reliable system for across the board accountability. The government, on the other side, is also busy defending only the person of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. There is also no keenness on its part in setting up an independent accountability system, which should initiate action against all corrupt without any fear and favour.

It is believed that both the government and opposition parties know that they have skeletons in their cupboards and in case of independent accountability system in place all of them would suffer.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his last speech in the national assembly had briefly talked about creating such a system but neither he nor his government moved an inch on this matter as yet.

In his speech Nawaz had desired setting up an effective and robust accountability body as per the agreement reached between the PML-N and the PPP in the 2006 Charter of Democracy. But he did not announce any line of action to achieve this goal.

The PML-N, which during the last PPP government’s tenure has been vocal against corruption and was demanding the constitution of an independent commission to check the menace, remained unmoved on this issue for the last three years of its present term.

The PPP government and the last National Assembly though took the credit of unanimous passage of landmark 18th and 19th amendments; they failed to make a simple legislation for the formation of promised independent accountability commission.