ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party yesterday failed to get “Panama Papers Inquiries, 2016’ bill, passed in the National Assembly as the PML-N opposed the move, terming it a redundant matter.

PPP’s Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, mover of the bill, asked the government to allow legislation on Panama leaks bill. “Only one case was rejected in the Supreme Court whereas the Panama leaks issue is a vast matter,” the PPP MNA argued when Law Minister Zahid Hamid opposed the bill.

Supporting his party member, Naveed Qamar said all the matters related to Panama leaks had not been cleared, so the government should not oppose this bill. But Hamid strongly opposed the bill, terming it a redundant matter.

The bill formulated by the opposition was discriminatory in nature and designed against the prime minister, he said, adding the Supreme Court had already given its decision on the issue.

He said Pakistan Commission of Inquiries Bill had already been passed by both the houses, which would decide investigation of other persons named in the Panama Papers.

Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi preferred to go for opinion of the majority and rejected legislation on it.

The bill was aimed at continuation of a commission of inquiries into the disclosures contained in the Panama Papers. The statement of objects and reasons of the bill says: “The act seeks to provide a legal process for inquiries into the transnational and trans-jurisdictional secret transfers and deposits of vast sums of Pakistani rupees and deposits of vast sums of Pakistani rupee and resources by persons whose names have been disclosed in the recent leaks of Panama Papers and by their family members.”

“Since funds have been secretly shifted to foreign countries behind corporate veils and since the disclosures have been made by a reputable international body of investigative journalists, the category of the persons named in the Panama leaks is distinct and stands apart,” it says.

For the purpose, it says, this new special law is designed to facilitate the state, through specific provisions providing for effective trans-national and trans-jurisdictional tracing and outreach, to uncover all those secret funds, assets and properties.

This bill had already been passed by the upper house of the parliament.

On the other hand, it seems major opposition parties were not letting the Dawn leaks issue die down at any cost, as they asked the government to present the inquiry report in the National Assembly.

With the onset of Tuesday’s session, lawmakers from opposition parties put pressure on the government to take the house into confidence on the Dawn leaks issue. The government, however, did not give assurance to share the inquiry report, ostensibly preferring to keep mum on it.

PPP Parliamentary Leader Naveed Qamar, on a point of order, said that the government should take parliament into confidence about Dawn leaks issue. “Wasn’t it breach of the national security. It was not enough that the ISPR had withdrawn its tweet,” Qamar said.

PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi demanded from the government to present the inquiry report in the house. “If Tariq Fatemi has been barred from his responsibilities, then why he was part of an official entourage to China,” Qureshi asked.

PTI’s Shireen Mazari, on a point of order, demanded of the government to present the inquiry report in the house. “There is a need to ascertain whether or not the story was based on truth? Were Tariq Fatemi and others have been made scapegoat?” Mazari questioned. She further asked why Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar had termed the matter against national security and put all the blame on Tariq Fatemi.

PTI’s Asad Umar was of the view that the decision on Dawn Leaks issue should be taken in Parliament as the news has defamed the country’s name at the international level. Another MNA Munaza Hassan said that the government should resign after the Dawn leaks episode.  PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, taking part in the discussion, floated a suggestion to pass a resolution declaring Parliament a hub of power.

MQM’s Sheikh Salahuddin said that there was a need to call a separate joint session to discuss all important matters including the Hamood-ur Rahman Commission report, Panama leaks, Dawn leaks etc.

The Dawn Leaks controversy was “amicably” resolved between the civil and military leadership a couple of days ago following a meeting between Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. After the meeting, ISPR Director General Maj-Gen Asif Ghafoor withdrew his April 29 tweet.

In Tuesday’s session, the house witnessed longest-ever ‘order of the day’ as nearly 80 agenda items were disposed of.

The bills moved in the house included: “The Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2017”, “The Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2017”, “The Right to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017”, “The Islamabad Birthing Centre and Hospital Maternity Services Bill, 2017”, “The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2017”, “The Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2017”, “The National Commission on Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2017”, “The National Centre for Countering Violent Extremism Bill, 2017” and “The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2017”. The house also passed “The Senate Secretariat Services Bill, 2017”, moved by Sajid Mehdi.

The house also passed a resolution on Tuesday, strongly condemning the recent killing of 14 labourers in Gwadar and Kharan. The resolution, moved by Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch, expressed heartfelt sympathies with the bereaved families. It urged the federal and provincial governments to use all available resources to trace the culprits and bring them to justice.

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division Tariq Fazal Chaudhary, while responding to a call-attention notice about an insufficient number of seats for admission in government schools in Islamabad, said that the ministry was making out efforts to meet the requirement. “This government is working on an agenda to spread education. A survey is being carried out in Islamabad to assess the requirement of new schools in the capital territory,” he added.