ISLAMABAD - The PML-N government has introduced ‘The Pakistan Commissions of Inquiry Bill, 2016’ in the National Assembly, apparently an attempt to settle the Panamgate and other related matters.

The controversial bill was strongly opposed by opposition side what they termed an attempt to save Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from the Panama Leaks issue. The bill introduced by Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid yesterday has been referred to concerned Standing Committee for discussion.

Sharing the salient features of the bill, he said, the bill has been drafted to enhance powers of the commission being set up under 1956 Act to investigate the Panama Leaks and to avoid such illegal practices in future.

Hamid said that the government side has made efforts to form a commission to investigate the Panama scandal. He said the government side had also formed a committee comprising six members each from the opposition and the treasury benches to resolve the issue. ”All the meetings remained inconclusive,” he said.

Avoiding all these misconceptions, he said, a new bill has been drafted for discussion with all political parties.

According to the ‘statement of objects and reasons’ the existing law relating to appointment of commissions of inquiry and empowering them for the purpose is Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act, 1956.

“The act has been invoked for setting up fact finding commissions on a number of important national issues in the past,” it stated.

It says: “it was considered that a new law be enacted enabling the government to confer additional powers on a commission of inquiry where the nature of the issue is being inquired.”

The major opposition parties (PPP & PTI) strongly rejected the purpose of introducing the bill. “It is not more than a movement to save the prime minister,” said PPP’s Naveed Qamar.

“Government is just wasting the time by prolonging the matter. If government is not interested to share facts about Panama it should not find excuses,” he added.

PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi also termed it an attempt to hush-up Panama controversy. “It is an attempt to sweep the matter under the carpet,” he remarked.

Another bill further to amend the Post Office Act, 1898 [The Post Office(Amendment) Bill, 2016] was also tabled in the House. The bill was moved by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab.