Opposition rejects judicial commission

PanamaLeaks

Seeks independent forensic audit of offshore assets of PM’s family; says commission will keep matter hanging for a year

ISLAMABAD: The opposition on Tuesday rejected the judicial commission announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the wake of the Panama Papers leaks and called for a forensic audit of the offshore assets of his family by an international firm that will be independent of government pressure.

Reacting to the formation of a judicial commission, PPP leader Senator Aitzaz Ahsan told a private TV channel that an independent forensic audit was needed to probe the leaks, as the retired judge would think of remuneration for his work.

Aitzaz said he had formed a loan commission headed by a serving judge of the Supreme Court to probe the cooperatives scandal but that commission “whitewashed” the wrongdoings.Answering a question about the retired judge, Aitzaz said: “I don’t think ex-CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry will head it.”

Rejecting the commission, Aitzaz said if the prime minister wanted to appear before the judicial commission, then there should be an independent forensic audit. “A number of international firms do this job,” he added.

AML leader Sheikh Rashid said the prime minister’s address to the nation on state TV had spread disappointment. He said the judicial commission would keep the matter hanging for a year, adding that if the wealth of the PM’s sons could not be brought back home, why would others invest in Pakistan.

PPP’s Maula Bux Chandio said the PML-N used to make sitting judges issue orders as per their wishes, so what would a retired judge do? He said the PM’s tone was good but he did not say a singlesingle world about the accusations leveled against him and his family.

PTI’s Naeemul Haq said the PM’s address was unsatisfactory, as he did not answer a single question. “It is not clear whether he or the SC chief justice will appoint the head of the commission and how long will it take to probe the matter.”

JI’s Sirajul Haq said the PM had proved that the rulers had been doing this for long.  He said when the PM and his family was accumulating illegal assets, what will the common man do.

Columnist Ayaz Amir said the commission was just eyewash and the issue will fizzle out.  He said the people of Iceland protested against their prime minister for keeping offshore companies and other countries were probing the charges. 

He questioned where the Sharif family had got money to build these companies. Meanwhile, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Tuesday said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s criticism of the policies of ZA Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto in his address to the nation was the most unfortunate attempt to deflect the storm brewing in the wake of Panama Papers disclosures.

"It is a measure of grave shock caused by the Panama Papers leaks that the prime minister instead of answering questions raised in the leaked documents resorted to blame game against the PPP leaders," said the PPP spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar in his reaction to the premier’s speech.

Babar said the prime minister thought it fit to recall that the Ittefaq Foundry was also nationalized in the era of nationalization and that the family received nothing in return. "But he forgot to mention that one of the first acts of dictator Zia was to return the foundry to Sharif family without the state being paid anything in return," he said.

He said the prime minister thought it fit to allege that in 1989 during the government of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto their cargo ship was not allowed to off-load at the Karachi dockyard. 

"But he conveniently forgot to remember that the cargo ship Jonathan was held up by the customs authorities for carrying a sugar plant instead of claimed steel scrap," he added. The spokesperson wondered as to what was the relationship between Bhutto's nationalization policy and the Panama Papers leaks. 

He said the issues raised by the Panama Papers will not die down by heaping the blame on the PPP government of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.  "The prime minister will do well to answer the questions raised by the leaked papers instead of resorting to blame game," he said.