Joint Opp to draft unanimous TORs on May 2

The lawmakers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Awami Muslim League (AML) and some other opposition parties are set to meet on May 2 to draft their own Terms of Reference (ToRs) for the commission to probe the Panama Papers.

PTI senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi called on PPP’s senior leaders Khursheed Shah, Aitzaz Ahsan and others to discuss a joint strategy regarding the TORs for the Panama Commission. Separately, MQM Parliamentary Leader Dr Farooq Sattar and others also called on the PPP leaders to discuss the political situation in the country.

While the PPP has announced its opposition to the TORs in the media, and may get into a huddle with other political parties, they have refrained from announcing all-out support for the PTI’s protest plans. The party has also not announced full-scale protests of their own on the issue. PTI leader Aitzaz Ahsan told reporters following Monday’s meeting that the party had not committed to joining PTI’s protest.

MQM is the other mainstream political party which has not become part of the opposition’s fledgling alliance board.

Later in the day, PPP leaders went to the residence of PML-Q Chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and met with the PML-Q leadership to take them on board over the developing situation.

PARLIAMENTARY PARTIES TO MEET ON MAY 2:

A well placed source in the PTI told Pakistan Today that the PPP, PTI, JI and AML have agreed to hold a joint parliamentary meeting on May 2 at the residence of Aitzaz Ahsan to draft unanimous TORs of the opposition parties.

“We will also contact other opposition parties to evolve a joint strategy on the Panama Papers probe,” the source said.

When contacted, PTI Secretary Information Naeemul Haq confirmed that the meeting between the three opposition parties had been scheduled, saying other political parties would also join the huddle.

“We will also contact other political parties of the opposition. This time around, the opposition will come up with its own TORs,” Haq added.

He said that there was total unanimity of views between the two major opposition parties.

QURESHI’S MESSAGE FOR BILAWAL:

During the meeting between PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi and PPP’s Aitzaz Ahsan, Khursheed Shah, Saleem Mandviwalla and others, Qureshi also conveyed a message for PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

“During the meeting, Qureshi once again urged the PPP leadership to join the party’s protest against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The PPP leaders expressed their eagerness to join the march but said they needed Qureshi to convince Bilawal. This prompted Qureshi to send a message to Bilawal to meet with him or even with Imran Khan to discuss the issue,” the source said.

ANTI-CORRUPTION, NOT ANTI-PPP CAMPAIGN:

Asked whether PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari were also supporting the stance the PTI had taken, PTI Secretary Information Naeemul Haq said that there was a total unanimity in the views of the two parties over the Panama probe commission and its TORs.

The leaders of PTI and PPP told media personnel following the meeting that the discussion was aimed at reaching consensus over the TORs for the Panama leaks probe commission.

However, a PPP leader privy to the details of the meeting said that during the meeting, Qureshi also offered “clarifications” on PTI’s anti-corruption campaign starting from interior Sindh.

“During the meeting, Qureshi informed the PPP leadership that the campaign had been designed by PTI’s Sindh organisation as a mass contact drive two months ago,” the source said.

As per plan, Qureshi will start his campaign from Gharo city and he will visit Thattha, Sajawal, Golarchi, Badin, Mirpur Khas, Sakarund, Nawabshah, Larkana, Moro, Qambar, Shahdadkot, and Shikarpur. Imran Khan will lead the campaign from Sukkur and WIthen go to Punnu Aaqil, Ghotaki and Kamu Shaheed.

Naeemul Haq also endorsed this information.

“Actually, PTI Sindh had scheduled a mass contact drive in interior Sindh around one and a half months ago when no one had heard of the Panama Papers,” Qureshi said, and added, “Now as per plan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi will lead the campaign in Sindh. Imran Khan will join the party on April 30 in Sukkur for one day. Khan will not visit all the areas in Sindh,” he added.

Asked if there were any rifts between the PPP and PTI leadership over the anti corruption drive, Naeemul Haq said there were absolutely no differences whatsoever.

PPP NEEDS MORE WOOING:

Following the meeting, Aitzaz told media personnel that the PPP did not commit to joining PTI’s protest campaign.

“We appreciate them taking us on board, but we can’t make a commitment yet because maybe they have some other strategy in mind,” Aitzaz said.

Khursheed Shah said the commission should specifically investigate allegations against the prime minister and his family.

Shah rejected the government-proposed TORs for the judicial commission probing the Panama Papers, claiming the TORs were drafted without the opposition’s input.

“Instead of opening up all the corruption cases since 1947, which will take 100 years and not produce any results, the commission should focus on Nawaz as he is the prime minister,” Shah said.

Later, the PPP leaders also held a meeting with an MQM delegation led by Dr Farooq Sattar.

A source said the opposition failed in winning the support of the MQM but Farooq Sattar supported their demand for a thorough and unbiased probe into Panama leaks.

However, the PPP later in the evening met with PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and asked for their support on the probe. Talking to media, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi said his party fully backs the stance adopted by PPP over the probe.

“We reject the TORs submitted by the government. We demand a thorough probe in Panama leaks and want the commission to probe the allegations against the prime minister and his family first,” Pervez Elahi said.