Govt may go for majority instead of consensus on ToRs

ISLAMABAD: Although, the PTI and PPP have distanced themselves from the committee on terms of reference (ToRs), technically the forum is not finished. If the situation persists as of now, one of the government’s strategies could be to extract majority-agreed ToRs.

The government side aims to secure an eight or nine-member (nine, in case the JI supports) majority decision from the 12-member committee even if the PPP, PTI, PML-Q or JI walks away, it was learnt. In that eventuality four PML-N members, two allies with the help of ANP and MQM could do the needful and come up with ToRs which can then be sent to the Supreme Court with a new request to form a judicial commission on Panama Papers. Even if the exercise doesn’t lead anywhere, some advisers to the prime minister are resolute to tread this course to deprive, as per their own estimates, the PPP-PTI led opposition from political point scoring and blame game in the days to come. And the government could also brave Parliament and public forums with its own version of things, and claim its sincerity towards the whole Panama Papers investigation issue, till date being dubbed as a time buying effort by the PPP, PTI and rest of the opposition bandwagon.

These days, top government ministers are in constant touch with the leadership of three opposition parties (ANP, MQM and JI) which are part of Parliamentary Committee on PanamaLeaks to secure their support for a majority agreed ToRs in case a consensus could not be arrived at by all the 12 members of the committee, a government member of the committee told The News on condition of anonymity. The ANP and MQM have, however. advised the PML-N and allies to exhaust all the talks and consensus efforts, and then go for the majority decision as everyone knows the PPP, PTI, and PML-Q would in the eventuality assume that the committee ceases to exist after their withdrawal. Both these parties, especially the MQM, would also like to discuss some fine details and politics at large, before siding with the government on ToRs, a situation the mainstream opposition parties already bear in mind, and employing in their political tactics.

Sensing the planned government move, the PTI has already taken the legal course filing petition in Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to seek disqualification of the prime minister on assets non-declaration charges and approaching the Supreme Court, if need be. The PPP is all set to follow suit through its separate petition today (Monday) in the ECP. And both the parties, at loggerheads with each other in the past, have already indicated to join hands in streets protest against the government in surprise political synchronisation, some feel is aimed at sending a message across to the garrison that time has come to rock the boat of Premier Nawaz Sharif-led dispensation, and for fresh elections "Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly feels that a judicial commission should be in place even if opposition forces want to scuttle the judicial probe in absence of consensus ToRs, and launch street protest to meet their political ends," a federal minister and member of the 12 member parliamentary committee told The News.

“And we don’t want the PPP and PTI to use non-formation of judicial commission as an excuse or slogan for their agitation campaign. So, we plan to come up with ToRs for judicial probe, through consensus or majority decision,” the minister added.

Recent consultations between the federal ministers and prime minister who plans to return on Eid days or immediately after that, sugges that the premier is in no mood to let the PTI and PPP walk away from the committee and bring the whole effort to a grinding halt with no judicial commission in sight.

Members of the government team are therefore planning for the eventuality, and could come up with an eight or nine-party agreed ToRs. It could be nine-party consensus in case the JI opts to side with government, and eight if it opts out. The government side plans to woo the JI too, but all depends on the political discourse the Jamaat will opt to pursue in the days to come.

The Parliamentary Committee on PanamaLeaks was formed late last month as government and opposition parties vowed to come up with consensus ToRs to pave way for a judicial commission comprising judges of the Supreme Court. Till date the committee held eight sittings in all, but could not arrive at a consensus due to sharp differences over various clauses dealing with scope and ambit of the ToRs. The main bone of contention between the two sides gridlocked on the issue is opposition’s focus to zero in on the prime minister and family. They want the premier and his family to prove their innocence before the commission, and also provide affidavits that could help in the probe for forensic audits. The government side complains that the prime minister specific ToRs are not acceptable as his name was never mentioned in the Panama Papers. But opposition parties insist that the PM and family will have to be the first ones to present themselves for accountability before the proposed judicial commission.

-Originally appeared in The News