Govt has nothing to do with Sanaullah’s arrest: PM

Imran says PTI does not believe in politics of revenge

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said the government had nothing to do with the arrest of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Rana Sanaullah and reiterated that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) does not believe in politics of revenge.

Imran chaired a meeting of party spokespersons, which was also attended by key federal ministers to discuss the overall political situation after the arrest of some opposition leaders. The prime minister praised the party spokespersons for effectively defending the federal budget.

Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said that the government had nothing to do with the arrest of Sanaullah. "Politics of revenge in not the PTI's ideology," he said. "Courts and other state institutions are now independent in the country. Those facing cases should clear their names in courts."

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Imran said that the opposition was hurling allegations against the government to divert people's attention from their "crimes". He added that the government gave fair chance to those having benami assets and now there would indiscriminate action against those people.

During the meeting, Khan also dilated on his upcoming visit to the US. He told the participants that his US visit would help improve bilateral relations.

The prime minister also held a separate meeting, where he received a briefing on the industrial and agriculture sectors, promotion of tourism, setting up of special economic zones and the steps taken for resolving problems of the trade community in Punjab.

The meeting was attended by Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Planning Minister Khusro Bakhtiar, Adviser on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Adviser on Trade Abdur Razak Dawood, Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Shabbar Zaidi and others.

The prime minister said the government presented a balanced budget despite difficult economic situation by giving full attention to the promotion of the industrial sector and protecting the poor segment of society.

“Keeping in view the economic situation, the government has taken tough decisions to put the economy on the right path and steer the country out of economic crisis,” he said. “The basic purpose of reforms is to accelerate growth, improve revenue system and restore confidence of the business community.”

He said the government was fully aware of the reservations of business community. “The reforms process in the FBR is going on to restore the confidence of the business community, besides making all segments of the society partners in the process of economic development,” he said.