The committee formed by the opposition parties convened a meeting on Tuesday to finalise joint Terms of References (TORs) against the government in Panama leaks matter.
Representatives of different parties meet for the second time in two consecutive days.
The committee that was formed by the parties yesterday comprises of Aitzaz Ahsan, Hamid Khan Shamil, Mushahid Hussain, Asadullah Bhutto, Aneesa Zaib, Sheikh Rasheed, Mian Iftikhar, Mir Israrullah Zehri and Khalid Maqbool.
Members of different opposition parties are holding the session at Opposition Leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan’s residence in the federal capital.
While talking to the media outside Aitzaz Ahsan’s residence, Sheikh Rasheed said that PPP, PTI, JI and MQM are four big opposition parties that have demanded the Prime Minister to resign. These parties hold majority number of seats in the National Assembly (NA) and have the ‘street power’, he added.
In the meeting held yesterday, opposition parties had rejected government’s course-of-action for establishment of a commission to probe Panama leaks. The parties had demanded holding every Pakistani citizen named in Panama leaks accountable for his wealth but Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif should be the first in line.
Leaders present at the meeting could not reach consensus over opposition’s demand about Prime Minister’s resignation.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) opposed the demand initially but agreed after discussion on Monday. Party member, Kanwar Naveed Jameel said that the Prime Minister should resign on moral grounds.
Awami National Party (ANP) and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) maintained their stance against the demand and did not give in. Opposition parties also demanded enactment of a new law to establish judicial commission for Panama leaks probe.
While conversing with the media after the meeting, Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) former federal minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said that the government’s TORs in their current shape are unacceptable, adding that all those named in Panama leaks should be accounted for but the process of accountability must begin with the ruler of the country.
Kaira stated that nine opposition parties met yesterday and all of those forwarded their TORs. “Committee will again meet tomorrow, we will try to make a final decision in regards to the Terms of References”, he said.
