Privilege motion on Panama Leaks may influence case’s hearing: Saad Rafique

ISLAMABAD, Dec 15 (APP): Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique
said on Thursday that Opposition’s move to bring privilege motion in the National Assembly on the issue of Panama Leaks was apparently seemed to influence the case’s hearing in the Supreme Court.
Expressing his views in the National Assembly, he said the matter was
subjudice and the motion might influence its hearing.
“You have taken the issue to the Supreme Court and now we would not let this issue remain undecided. Elections are going to take place in 2018 and we would like to go in these after proving our innocence,” he said.Saad Rafique said that PML N owned Prime Minister’s statement
in the Parliament on the issue of Panama Leaks. “That was a general
as well as an elaborative statement on the issue with complete proofs and we own each and every word of it,” he said.
He said the PML N never considered its leadership’s political statements as lies. After the last general elections, he said Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf staged sit in and continued crying foul for around one and a half year but later on its leadership (Imran Khan) said his statements regarding 35 punctures were political in nature.
He said PTI’s sit ins produced no results. He asked PTI lawmakers to shun the politics of agitation, attend National Assembly’s sessions and play a constructive role in the House. “You are drawing salaries and taking honorariums. I request you to do some work as well. You are supposed to take part in legislations,” he added.
The minister said instead of leg pulling the Opposition should play a vibrant role.
“You have never spoken about our performance. But when we talk about your performance you mind that. Kindly serve the people and compete with us on the basis of performance,” he remarked.
The minister regretted Wednesday’s ruckus and sloganeering in the House saying that members of treasury and opposition benches had difference of opinion but they were not each other’s enemies.
“Like Opposition, we also have self respect. If you will abuse our leadership and use unparliamentary language, then our reaction will be natural. Even then I take my words back. I am sorry if I’ve hurt anybody’s feelings. We should not insult each other. I expect the same from you and hope you will also withdraw your words against our leadership,” he said.
Saad Rafique said Opposition’s TORs in the Panama Leaks case were a charge sheet against the Prime Minister. He said Imran Khan had stated that people set up offshore companies to hide black money but later on it was discovered that both he and Jahangir Tareen also had offshore companies.