Nawaz Sharif is guilty in Panama Papers case, says Shaikh Rashid – DAWN.com

National Assembly session reconvened on Monday but the disorder prevailed as the treasury and opposition benches kept chanting slogans against each, with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leaders sticking to their demand that PM Nawaz Sharif should address the house and clarify his statement regarding Panamagate issue.

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq started the house proceedings by asking Awami Muslim League (AML) Sheikh Rashid to address the session.

Talking about Panamagate, Rashid said Nawaz Sharif made mistakes while addressing the issue, “and a person makes such mistakes only when he is guilty”.

He said that the prime minister claimed in parliament that he had proof [of all the business transactions] but his lawyer later told the apex court that they have no evidence of the same.

After the speaker allowed PML-N lawmaker Daniyal Aziz to speak, pandemonium broke out in the PTI benches, with lawmakers protesting the speaker’s decision.

Ayaz Sadiq reminded PTI lawmakers it had been decided that first the opposition would speak and then the government would be allowed to respond, but the lawmakers continued chanting slogans against the prime minister.

PTI leader Shireen Mazari asked Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to let Qureshi speak, in response Sadiq asked her to read the rule book placed in front her first.

The speaker, however, allowed PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi to address the house. Qureshi claimed it was not the PTI’s goal to disrupt the house and asked for assurance that the PM would reply to their concerns.

PM Nawaz must issue clarification: Qureshi

The senior PTI leader raised the point that the premier had not mentioned letter of Qatri prince when as he was presenting his stance on the issue of Panama Papers leaks.

Qureshi was of the view that a fresh explanation by Nawaz Sharif has become essential to clear the confusion, being created with emergence of Qatri prince’s letter.

“The prime minister should come to the house and tell the truth,” he said, adding “it was a matter of the premier’s credibility” and that they [PTI] will be asking repeatedly for clarification “until and unless the prime minister issues one”.

“It is necessary for the prime minister to present his clarification, more so after the letter of the prince.”

PML-N lawmaker Khawaja Asif, however, replied to this saying he was also waiting for the day Imran Khan visits the parliament.

‘Imran Khan has nothing substantial’

Later, Danial Aziz in his speech targeted PTI chief Imran Khan, saying “Imran knows he has nothing substantial”.

Responding to PTI’s criticism he said, “They [PTI lawmakers] blamed that the prime minister runs businesses in the name of his servants, they should ask who Allah Yar and Haji Khan are [alleged employees of PTI leader Jahangir Tareen]?”

Following continuous disturbance by Mazari during his speech, Danial Aziz turned his guns towards her saying, “For god’s sake please keep quiet, what you are doing. It does not go well with your age.”

Resembling PTI lawmakers to the parted tail of a lizard, he said that PTI members are in turmoil because a lizard’s tail moves till long after being cut off.

He further said that he had challenged the documents of ICIJ. He alleged that the founders of ICIJ are all fraudulent journalists.

As the session began late, the question and answer session was subsequently postponed following a motion presented by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Maryam Aurangzeb.

Ruckus and disorderly conduct also overshadowed the last two sessions, following the return of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers in National Assembly (NA).

In the last session, PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi had requested Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to attend the next session and clarify his position.

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had tried to maintain order in the house but PML-N lawmakers began yelling when Qureshi started to address the speaker in a hostile manner.

The PTI and PPP submitted privilege motions in the NA claiming that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had misguided lawmakers in a speech regarding his assets delivered earlier this year.

The PPP in its privilege motion said the PM, through his lawyers, told the Supreme Court that his speech in the Parliament on May 16 was “a ‘political statement’ and was not [meant] to be taken seriously. This implies that all his previous policy statements are also to be taken likewise”.

In a similarly privilege motion, the PTI said the PM had told the House that he had “documents to prove his case.” But his lawyers said no records were kept as business was conducted via “parchis (chits)”, it stated.