Govt reiterates it won’t be ‘blackmailed’ on NAB legislation

FM Qureshi accuses opposition of trying to use FATF bills as bargaining chip


Our Correspondent July 30, 2020
FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi addresses a news conference in Islamabad. PHOTO: APP

ISLAMABAD:

The federal government on Wednesday again accused the opposition of trying to use the bills related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as a bargaining chip to have their proposed amendments to the accountability law approved and vowed that it would not allow itself to be “blackmailed”.

Addressing a news conference, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, accompanied by Adviser to the PM on Accountability and Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar and MNA Barrister Maleeka Bokhari, said the government was ready to discuss amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance with the opposition parties but would not strike any deal with them.

He reiterated that the process of accountability would be compromised if the opposition’s proposed amendments were accepted.

“We are open to reasonable suggestions but won’t compromise over our core values,” he added.

The minister said the country’s independent institutions would continue their crackdown on corrupt elements and the government would not allow itself to be blackmailed over issues of national interest.

Qureshi explained that the FATF-related bills passed earlier in the day by the National Assembly were crucial as Pakistan’s removal from the global financial watchdog’s grey list depended on them.

He added that India wanted Pakistan to end up on the FATF’s black list. “If the country is blacklisted, our economic situation will deteriorate further.”

The minister elaborated that the country needed to pass the FATF-related laws and inform its Asia Pacific Group about within a specified time.

Qureshi maintained that the opposition wanted its amendments to the NAB law accepted in exchange for participating in the debate on the FATF legislation.

The minister also spoke about his verbal spat with PML-N’s Khawaja Asif in parliament earlier in the day. He said unlike Asif’s claim, it was the PML-N which had approached him to join the party and also offered him the foreign affairs ministry.

However, he added that he turned down the offer and joined the PTI.

"Khawaja sahab said I had recited a qawwali. But what sang was a pakka raag musical note, one that [Prime Minister] Imran Khan has been campaigning for since the last 22 years,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Adviser Shahzad Akbar said the FATF-related bills were not aimed at pursuing personal gains and would toughen the mechanism to curb terrorism financing.

“The opposition does not want spouses and children to be declared benamidars,” he added.

“This will allow as much corruption as possible using wives and children.”

He further said the opposition also wanted the amended NAB law to come into effect from the year 1999 so that there could no accountability for the corrupt practices that took place before that.

“If these amendments are accepted, several people including Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Mayram Nawaz, Javed Latif would be set free.”

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