ISLAMABAD - Former president Asif Ali Zardari yesterday said he had no understanding with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over the Panama leaks scandal.
Zardari said he had no meeting with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in London - as widely reported - and there was no question of a settlement with PM Sharif regarding the Panama Papers.
In a statement issued here, the Pakistan People’s Party leader said: “The assertion in a section of the media that Asif Zardari has reached some understanding on the issue of Panama leaks with the prime minister is untrue, baseless and motivated.”
His statement came as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif prepared to undergo an open-heart surgery in London, scheduled for Tuesday (tomorrow).
World leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani expressed their best wishes for PM Sharif in their messages.
Zardari, his son Bilawal Bhutto and other political leaders have also issued their good wishes through social media or statements.
Before leaving for medical treatment, Prime Minister Sharif faced a big challenge in the form of Panama leaks and had been seeking political support to settle the issue.
The PPP and the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf have been pressing the PM to quit for a fair probe into the scandal. A parliamentary committee has already been formed to look into the matter.
Zardari said the reports that in the spirit of reconciliation, he had arrived at some understanding with the prime minister on the issue, were unfounded.
The PPP leader categorically said his party had already decided to pursue the Panama leaks issue to its logical conclusion.
“A parliamentary committee has already been set up which is engaged in drawing up the Terms of Reference for investigations and how to proceed in the matter and there is no question of ignoring it,” he said.
The former president said that the PPP had arrived at a well considered stance on the issue after due deliberations not only within the party but also with all political parties.
Media reports calculated to give any impression that he “may have a different stance on the issue are untrue and baseless and seem motivated to create confusion,” Zardari said.
BILAWAL FOR SELF-GOVERNANCE IN TRIBAL AREAS
PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that involvement of tribesmen in self governance was critical to ending militancy and for mainstreaming the tribal areas.
In the final analysis, tribesmen with stakes in their governance structures will be a stronger force against aliens and militants in their midst than any other force, he added.
In a meeting with convener PPP Federall-Administrated Tribal Areas chapter led by Akhunzada Chattan in Islamabad to review party issues in the tribal areas and mobilization of the people of tribal areas, Bilawal said after the extension of the Political Parties Order to the tribal areas it was incumbent upon the PPP to vigorously reach out to the people with political messaging.
“The political message of the PPP to the tribal people is that party is committed to ensure their empowerment through instruments of self governance. Our message is that we will strive for their basic rights as are available under the Constitution to the people of other parts of the country,” he said.
Bilawal said previously only one narrative dominated the political-religious discourse in the tribal areas which hampered social and political development.
“The Political Parties Order was extended to the tribal areas by the previous PPP government to enable them get benefits of alternate political narratives and freely make their political choices,” he added.
Akhunzada Chattan briefed the PPP chief on the overall party situation in the tribal areas and the progress made in the re-organisation process, said a party statement.
OPPOSITION NOT SINCERE IN RESOLVING TORS ISSUE: FAZL
APP adds: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman Sunday said that the opposition was not sincere to resolve the matter of Terms of Reference (ToRs) on Panama Papers as the formation of ToRs was not a big issue.
The opposition was escaping from every suggestion of the government on ToRs in parliamentary committee, he said while talking to a private TV channel.
Fazl-ur-Rehman, who is Chairman of Kashmir Committee, welcomed the formation of the parliamentary committee regarding ToRs on Panama issue. He urged the parliamentary committee to formulate ToRs within parameters of the Constitution.
He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had presented himself for accountability though his name was not mentioned in Panama Papers. He said that all the people should be held accountable without any discrimination.
He said that some political parties were playing politics of point-scoring instead of a fair play into the matter. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, he said, had dual standards regarding the accountability. Its politics of sit-ins had weakened the democracy in the country, he maintained.
He said that his party firmly believed in ideological politics rather than levelling allegations against others, adding he had not used derogatory language against anyone.
He prayed for early recovery of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.