Judicial Commission to first determine its dead line : Siraj ul Haq

Lahore : Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator Sirajul Haq has proposed that the Judicial Commission to be set up for Panama leaks enquiry should first determine its dead line for completing the task which should not be more than twenty five days and the process should begin from the Prime Minister.

Addressing a Press Conference at Mansoora, he said that Pakistan had agreements for exchange of information with the countries of the world, and information about the plundered wealth deposited by the rulers and others in different countries should be obtained. The NAB and all other investigating agencies should extend full cooperation to the judicial commission.

Sirajul Haq pointed out that the JI had from the very beginning, been demanding that the Prime Minister should follow the example of other rulers and step down to ensure an impartial enquiry and resume his office after being declared clean. However, he said, this demand had not been accepted.

He said that all those who had got huge bank loans written off and whose names had appeared in the Panama leaks should also be brought to book.

He said he was in touch  with the Opposition Leader Khurshid Shah,  PTI’s Shah Mehmud Qureshi, and PML(Q)’ s Ch. Pervez Elahi and others with the aim that the Opposition should submit joint ToRs and there was no grouping among them. He said the JI would also request the Supreme Court that the Judicial Commission should present its report to the apex court and not the government.

He said , “If countries like Hong Kong and Singapore can be cleansed of corruption why can’t  Pakistan”.

Sirajul Haq said some quarters were of the view that the Supreme Court did not have the authority for such investigation. However, he said that the NAB, FIA, M.I., I.S.I., and other agencies could collect information from foreign countries. He said that all the national institutions and agencies would be under the Judicial Commission.

He said that protests, public meetings or rallies of political parties were not a violation of the law or the constitution. He said that a political party had announced lockdown of the capital while the government had practically closed all roads and highways. Whoever acts beyond the law and the constitution, whether a political party or the government, was acting unlawfully, he said.

He said the JI decision to move the apex court had proved to be a correct decision because  the danger of extreme situation had been averted. The JI believed that issues should be decided by courts and not on roads, he said.

Sirajul Haq said that some political circles were ridiculing the PTI for calling off its lockdown and observing Thanksgiving. However, he said, the JI welcomed this decision because bloodshed had been averted.