With the return of Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar to the country, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has formed a cabinet committee to hold negotiations with the opposition parties to finalise the Terms of Reference (TORs) for a judicial probe into the Panama Papers’ allegations.
A source in the federal government told Pakistan Today that the prime minister had appointed Senator Dar to head the committee for holding talks with the opposition.
“The prime minister has been advised to appoint Senator Dar as convener of the negotiating committee,” the sources said, and added, “Possible members of the committee may include Law Minister Zahid Hamid, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Barrister Zafarullah Khan. The prime minister may also name Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf as team member,” the source added.
However, the source said that the federal government is awaiting the second wave of disclosures in the Panama Leaks before starting negotiations with the opposition.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has said that more of the Panama Leaks will be released on May 9.
“We expect names from major opposition parties to feature in the leaks,” the source said and added that the pressure on the prime minister would be reduced after more prominent names come to light.
ARMY, NOT OPPOSITION, CAUSE OF CONCERN FOR PM:
Another source in the ruling party told Pakistan Today that the ruling party leadership believed that the major source of concern for the prime minister was not the opposition but rather the army chief. The source said the premier had been advised to improve the civil-military relations.
The source said that the prime minister had taken the advice seriously and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had been tasked with helping bridge the gulf between the civilian and military leadership.
When contacted, a PML-N senator confirmed that the meeting had taken place between the army chief and Shehbaz Sharif at Chaklala.
Asked whether the meeting was useful in clearing the air about the issues affecting the civil-military relations, he said that the meeting was useful.
PPP TO TAKE TOUGHER STANCE AGAINST PM:
A source in the PPP told Pakistan Today that under immense pressure from the party’s second-tier leadership to take a firm stand on the Panama Leaks, the party co-chairman Asif Zardari had refused to extend any support to the prime minister.
“The prime minister has been conveyed that the PPP would take a firm stand on Panama leaks. This time around, the pressure is not from the top, it is from the bottom,” he said.
He said the recent police raid to arrest former Senate chairman Nayyar Hussain Bokhari had been staged by the government as they had no love lost between them and the PPP.
The source said that the opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate, Khursheed Shah and Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, had been given a green signal to pay the government back in the same manner.
The source added that the party leadership will meet in the federal capital on Sunday or Monday to devise future strategy.