- PM says govt ready to consult opposition on TORs after Khurseed Shah, others call on govt to enter talks
- Opposition parties to meet today to discuss joint strategy
Both the government and the opposition said on Sunday that they were ready to hold negotiations with each other on the Terms of Reference (TORs) for the judicial commission to probe the Panama Papers revelations, as new names in the global scandal are set to be revealed today (May 9).
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said, after holding a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, that the government is ready to consult the opposition on the TORs but that it would not accept anyone’s dictation concerning the TORs.
The opposition parties, due to meet today (Monday) to discuss future strategy have also said that they are ready to talk with the government.
Both sides have already rejected the TORs prepared by the other side.
The demands prepared by the two sides are so far apart that it is doubtful if the two sides will be able to reach a settlement.
The opposition has been calling for the government to start holding negotiations with the opposition for almost a week but the government side has been content with trashing the opposition parties’ TORs, saying they are only aimed at ousting the prime minister from power.
The opposition, on the other hand, has said that the government is trying to evade accountability by ensuring through their TORs that the judicial commission would be an ineffective one.
PM Nawaz met with Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif at Jati Umra in Raiwind. The two discussed the investigation of the Panama Leaks.
Clarifying his stance on the issue, PM Nawaz said that the government is ready to have negotiations with the opposition parties but it will not accept anyone’s dictation on the TORs.
OPPOSITION PARTIES MEET:
Opposition parties will hold a meeting of their parliamentary leaders in Islamabad today (Monday) to review the government’s response over their proposed TORs and their future strategy on the matter.
Earlier, the opposition had called on the government to hold negotiations with them on the TORs. The government had said that the opposition TORs are unacceptable but did not rule out negotiations.
According to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the meeting of the opposition parties will take place in opposition leader Khursheed Shah’s chamber at 3pm and will be attended by the parliamentary leaders of PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and other parties.
He also said that the opposition will devise their next strategy over the TORs.
SHAH WANTS GOVT TO HOLD TALKS:
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on Sunday said that the opposition parties are willing to negotiate with the government, over the TORs, as dialogue is the beauty of democracy.
Speaking to journalists after inaugurating the Computerised Tomography (CT) scan section of the Civil Hospital in Sukkur, Shah said that so far no contact has been made from the government side, adding that the parliament is the constituency of the prime minster. “If he wants to avoid it, it’s his will,” he said.
He further said that if the PM is willing to face the nation, there is nothing better than that. He also said that investigation should be carried out against all those named in the Panama Leaks.
Referring to loan waivers, Shah said that they are another category of criminals who need to be curtailed. Shah further added that he favoured negotiations over the TORs from day one.
COALITION PARTIES ON BOARD:
Coalition parties on Saturday rejected opposition’s proposed TORs in a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The opposition has given a one-sided decision, not TORs of the commission, PM Nawaz had said.
Opposition parties on Tuesday came up with 15 TORs, demanding to start the investigation of the matter from PM Nawaz Sharif and his family.
It was also demanded that the investigation commission, led by the Chief Justice (CJ) of the Supreme Court, should submit its report within three months.
The opposition demanded that inquiry regarding the other individuals named in the Panama Leaks be completed within one year and that the services of international audit experts be sought with respect to the investigation.
The proposed TORs were also sent to PM’s Office along with a letter from leader of the opposition.