The debate over the Terms of Reference (ToRs) even after the formation of a parliamentary committee has not progressed as well as was hoped. Apart from the very specific issue the government has taken against the mention of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s name in the ToRs presented by the opposition, it is unclear what the problem is so far. But then again, media experts have rightly pointed out that the formation of the government’s parliamentary team was carried out with an offensive strategy in mind, and it is likely that PML-N will want to put up a long and drawn out fight to take the bite out of the opposition’s attacks.
The government is currently all too concerned with the specific clause that mentions Nawaz Sharif by name. This, as the opposition points out, is a moot point considering that the mention of the names of both Mariam Nawaz Sharif and Hussain Nawaz make the Prime Minister’s name a non-issue. This is because the direct families of all 630 individuals mentioned in the Panama Papers will be investigated alongside the named as well. This is one of the opposition’s better ideas and makes the government’s consternation pointless.
The opposition also has a sound argument when it comes to rejecting the inclusion of loan defaulters in the list of those to be investigated. As Aitizaz Ahsan pointed out, legally, the potential criminal offences behind those engaged in supposed wrongdoing through Panama are very specific. Tax evasion, money laundering and undeclared assets are the scope of this investigation. The inclusion of loan defaulters would bring in an entire new ambit to the investigation process. The charge of getting loans written off through corruption is an entirely separate charge and should be treated as such.
The opposition has a very specific agenda on this occasion, and the only reason all named individuals will be scrutinised, is to establish a principle stance, at least on the surface. In reality, for the opposition, it most definitely is a targeted attack against the Prime Minister, but that is okay, because it is merely doing what is expected. Although this has been repeated ad nauseam, it is in the best interests of the PML-N to wind up this investigation as fast as possible, instead of taking the risk to wait it out, at least long enough till the public forgets. However, fractures might exist within the opposition, but it looks more than geared up for keeping the noise levels up for as long as needed.