Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Backdoor channels are again active to break the deadlock between government and opposition members of the parliamentary committee constituted to draft consensus terms of reference (ToRs) for investigation into Panama leaks, sources said on Saturday. Both National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah are in touch, as both have already played their role in making the parliamentary committee functional, sources said. Both leaders attended the first meeting of the committee to make sure that the meeting is held in a conducive environment.

On the second day too, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq intervened when government and the opposition members locked horns on the issue of Law Minister Zahid Hamid’s presence in the committee. However, on the third day, he just monitored the proceedings of the committee, sources said.

Both Ayaz Sadiq and Khursheed Shah spoke on telephone on Saturday and discussed the situation arising out of the deadlock. However, National Assembly spokesman Mohsin Iqbal denied any contact between the speaker and the opposition leader, terming it just a speculation.

Sources said that mediators from both the sides are in constant contact as they want to see the next round of the meeting productive.

Opposition Leader in National Assembly Khursheed Shah is reportedly also in contact with Leader of the Opposition in Senate Aitzaz Ahsan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi to ensure that Monday’s meeting runs smoothly. It has been learnt that opposition members will separately hold a meeting before the meeting of the parliamentary committee on ToRs on Monday to devise their strategy. Sources said that government was ready to re-write the ToRs and in this regard it was purposed that Inquiry Commission Act 1956 should be amended and name of Panama Papers be deleted from the ToRs so that scope of the parliamentary committee could be widened. However, the opposition is not ready to accept this, the sources said.