ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice on Tuesday failed to approve the bill regarding Panama leaks investigation as government and opposition members clash over amendments in the bill.
The government members rejected the Panama bill for accountability into the offshore properties of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his sons and daughter.
The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice was held today in the parliament house. In the meeting, the bill introduced by 38 members of opposition on September 27 about the probe of Panama Leaks was debated in detail. However the government and opposition members failed to approve the bill.
Opposition members chanted slogans against the government and staged protest sit-in in front of the parliament house.
Earlier, the Opposition leader in Senate Aitzaz Ahsan has introduced a bill in the house about Panama Leaks which was severely opposed by Federal Minister of Law Zahid Hamid, however, during the voting on bill in the house, the Chairman Senate has approved the bill owing to majority of opposition members and send it to Senate Standing Committee. Prior to this, date on the discussion of bill was fixed but the motive of the bill had submitted an application requesting to postpone the consultancy on bill, therefore the bill would be debated on Monday (today). It is worth-mentioning here that 4 members of the committee out of 10 members belongs to ruling PML-N which include Senators Saleem Zia, Nehal Hashmi, Aysha Raza Farooq and Nawabzada Saif-u-llah Magsi while 4 members belongs to PPP which include Senators Barrister Eitzaz Ahsan, Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, Saeed Ghani and Babar Awan. Senator Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif belongs to MQM while Senator Zahida Khan, who is also motive of the bill also belongs to ANP. Sources revealed that all the beneficiaries’ members have been directed by the government to ensure their presence in the meeting to fail the proposed bill on Panama Leaks.
