PM Nawaz Sharif to answer questions in parliament

By
Muhammad Saleh Zaafir
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PM Nawaz Sharif to answer questions in parliament

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will attend a parliament session later today to answer the questions of the opposition on the Panama Leaks.

The consultative meeting of the ruling alliance was held this morning. Earlier, it was scheduled for Sunday evening at the Prime Minister’s House to devise a strategy for dealing with the upcoming political situation, especially the treasury’s stance in the National Assembly and Senate in the face of the hue and cry on the Panama leaks by the opposition.

The prime minister returned from Istanbul late on Sunday afternoon after attending the wedding of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s daughter.

According to sources, the government has decided to undertake legislation on accountability in light of directives received from the Chief Justice of Pakistan given in his reply on the request of the government for the constitution of an inquiry commission to probe the allegations in the Panama Papers. The legal team of the government under Law and Justice Minister Zahid Hamid has drawn up outlines for the legislation that would be submitted to the prime minister today, the sources said. The draft will fulfill the requirements pointed out by the chief justice, the sources said.

The sources reiterated that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would not bow to the politics of agitation being pursued by the hawks of the opposition as he believes that he has nothing to hide from the world. “The prime minister accepted every proposal coming from the other side for instituting a probe into the Panama Papers although his name wasn’t part of the list published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). He isn’t obliged to answer each and every objection and question raised by some disgruntled political elements who have earlier subverted the efforts for the establishment of an inquiry commission. He will offer an olive branch to the opposition yet another time for the sake of progress and stability in the country,” the sources maintained.

It is likely that the prime minister will announce the constitution of a joint committee of the two houses of parliament to thrash out the allegations on the Panama leaks and Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq could be authorised to designate members of the committee.

Parliamentary sources said that all groups constituting the opposition in the National Assembly have given a firm undertaking that they would behave during the address of the prime minister in the National Assembly. A debate would be allowed subsequently on the address and the leaders from the opposition would also be provided an opportunity to express their views.

The National Assembly Speaker has warned members that anyone who uses un-parliamentary language would be thrown out. It is expected that the government would again write to the apex court for the formation of a commission in accordance to the guidelines enumerated by the highest court of the country. —A version of this story was originally published in The News today