ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) yesterday both agreed to at least on one point that an international forensic audit firm should conduct forensic investigations of Panama Leaks with regard to Pakistan.
The agreement came in a meeting when deputy parliamentary leader of PTI Shah Mahmood Qureshi met with the parliamentary delegation of PPP headed by Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah in his chamber. Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan was also present in the meeting.
Aitzaz Ahsan while during an informal talk to the media after the meeting said that PTI and PPP were untied on the demand of investigations through an international audit firm. Both parties would agree to some more points in future with regard to Panama Leaks, he said. “All parties were untied on the demand that a judicial commission and an international forensic audit,” he said and added and under inquiries act only the government could ask chief justice of Supreme Court or high court to investigate the matter. It is the duty of the government to get conducted audit through an international forensic firm.
Shah Mahmmod Qureshi said that all parties had rejected the government’s proposal about the formation of a commission under the supervision of retired judges.
He said that the government was giving a wrong impression that perhaps the Chief Justice of Pakistan had refused to form the commission.
“The government should clarify whether it ever contacted CJP for formation of the judicial commission,” he added. He said that had the government not used delaying tactics to probe Panama Leaks, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif might not have given the statement about across the board accountability.
He said that Pervez Musharraf went abroad at the behest of government and not because of the sit-in of his party. Syed Khurshid Shah said that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar made him a telephonic contact and asked for a meeting. “We both have agreed for a meeting today,” he added. He said that they would discuss proposals of the government and the opposition about probe of Panama Leaks in the meeting.