Daily Times

ISLAMABAD – Opposition parties on Tuesday unanimously formulated terms of reference (ToRs) regarding investigations into allegations of offshore holdings against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his family and other Pakistanis.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan unveiled the points of TORs along with representatives of other parties in Islamabad. According to the TORs, the Judicial Commission should first examine all foreign assets of the prime minister and his children with the help of international audit firms.

The commission will carry out full scrutiny of assets, taxes, source of money and other related matters. It further said that Panama Commission Trial and Inquiry Act shall be promulgated under which a judicial commission headed by the chief justice should be set up to hold an inquiry into Panama papers.

The commission will decide about PM Nawaz’s offshore assets in three months while others cases can be decided within one year. Responding to a question, Aitzaz admitted that there were differences among opposition parties about the resignation of the prime minister before the inquiry.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Hamid Khan, however, reiterated his party’s demand for the prime minister’s resignation on Panama papers. PPP Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira said that all the opposition parties in principle backed demands for the prime minister’s resignation, but there was disagreement on its timing. The participants of the meeting agreed that international forensic audit experts should be tasked with Panama leaks probe.

Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed said that the committee has agreed on a total of 15 points. He said that six parties are in favour of demanding the prime minister to resign while two are against it. The opposition has agreed on giving judicial commission three-month time period to probe Panama leaks against the Sharif family.

Prior to the meeting, Rasheed had said that PPP, PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were four big opposition parties that have demanded the prime minister to resign. These parties hold majority seats in the National Assembly (NA) and have the ‘street power’, he added.

The AML chief also said that PPP Chairman Bilawal’s call to give another blow to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘friends’ is the voice of his heart. PTI’s Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that opposition parties have agreed to the Terms of References.

The committee that convened a meeting on Tuesday comprised Aitzaz Ahsan, Hamid Khan, Mushahid Hussain, Asadullah Bhutto, Aneesa Zaib, Sheikh Rasheed, Mian Iftikhar, Mir Israrullah Zehri and Khalid Maqbool.