- Ishaq Dar tasked with coming up with an agreement over TORs for Panama Papers probe, Pervaiz Rashid told to ensure no further violence takes place in run up to AJK polls
- Khursheed Shah says govt yet to propose names for ECP members
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid to negotiate with the opposition again and come to an agreement on Terms of Reference (ToR) so that an enquiry commission could be setup to probe the Panama Papers, sources told Pakistan Today on Monday.
The sources said that PM Nawaz had also asked Information Minister Rashid to avoid escalating tensions with the Pakistan People’s Party in wake of violent clashes between activists of both parties in the run up to the general elections scheduled to be held in Azad Kashmir on July 21.
Sources said that the PM discussed the issues related to ToRs and appointment of members of the Election Commission of Pakistan in detail with the two ministers.
“The PM has asked Ishaq Dar to make his interactions with Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah result-oriented. He also emphasized on the need for the opposition to play a constructive role in the development and prosperity of the country,” the sources added.
The PM further said that elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir should be carried out in a peaceful manner, said the sources.
NO NAMES FOR ECP FROM GOVT YET:
Meanwhile, addressing reporters in Islamabad, NA Opposition Leader Shah said that the federal government has not come up with names for the vacant seats of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Shah said this after meeting PPP Senator Aitzaz Ahsan and Vice Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
The deadlock on the TORs regarding the investigation of Panama Leaks and the names for ECP members were discussed in their meeting.
Shah said that the opposition will submit their names for ECP members after consultation amongst the parties.
It should be noted that the vacant seats in the election commission have to be filled by the end of July this year.
The Election Commission of Pakistan became practically non-functional after its all four members retired on June 12 this year, after completing their five-year tenure.
Under the constitution, the ECP comprises the Chief Election Commissioner and four members – representing one to each province.
According to constitutional experts, the fate of cases pending in the ECP will hang in the balance till the appointment of new members.
Under the procedure, the prime minister, in consultation with the opposition leader, is required to forward three names for appointment to each vacancy of the ECP, to a parliamentary committee for hearing and confirmation of any one person for the post.
Earlier, PM Nawaz returned home from London on Saturday after undergoing successful open heart surgery in the British capital.
Sharif, whose operation was carried out in the last week of May, remained in the UK for more than six weeks. It was the PM’s second major cardiac medical procedure in five years.
Nawaz Sharif left the country shortly after the so-called Panama Papers linked his family to a series of offshore companies.
The Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) government has been facing immense pressure from opposition parties since the massive leak of tax data from Panamanian Law firm Mossack Fonseca.
The leaked data revealed offshore business interests of several world leaders, their friends and members of their families. Names of the prime minister’s children also appeared in the data, stirring up a political storm in Pakistan.
Many other prominent Pakistani personalities have also been named in the revelations. The documents identify many business tycoons and politicians including late two-time prime minister Benazir Bhutto to have allegedly used tax havens.
