Govt spreading confusion about FATF law: Bilawal

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari accused the government on Thursday of trying to “give itself dictatorial powers” by using the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) law and repeated his demand for bringing a no-confidence motion against National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Bilawal also repeated his earlier statement that NAB (the National Accountability Bureau) and democracy could not go together. He stressed that the PPP was not interest in any NRO.

Bilawal criticised the speaker after Thursday’s proceedings of the National Assembly. He said that the speaker no more remained a worker of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), therefore, he had to play an independent role but “what happened today is beyond comprehension”.

“The speaker once again censored the National Assembly proceedings. He did not want the opposition to speak,” the PPP chairman said. “You cannot stop me from speaking,” he added. Calling for bringing a no-confidence motion against the speaker, he said: “I will raise this issue at the all parties conference.”

Commenting on the passage of the FATF bill, Bilawal said that the bill could have easily been made uncontroversial but the government made it controversial unnecessarily, while the speaker failed to fulfil his responsibilities. “The government is spreading confusion about the bill,” he added.

The PPP chairman also slammed the government over a NAB ordinance. “Everyone agreed that the NAB and the economy could not go together. He then added, NAB and democracy could also not go together.

“Today [Prime Minister] Imran Khan is calling for giving a lawyer to Kulbhushan [Jadhav, the convicted Indian spy],” Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said. The PPP was not interested in any NRO but the government had introduced a KRO instead of an NRO,” he added, without elaborating.

Referring to the Punjab government’s recent ban on some books, Bilawal urged the provincial assembly to review the decision. “How can one be prevented from reading in the name of Islam? How can books be banned,” he asked.

“Censorship is not in Pakistan’s interest. They are trying to censor PubG. Even there is censorship and rigging over Covid,” he said. “[Coronavirus] testing in Pakistan is being deliberately reduced. If testing is not done, the economy will suffer more,” he warned.

Responding to a question about Maryam Nawaz Sharif, he said that it was up to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) under whose name they issued statements. “We should not pay attention to propaganda. I have also met [PML-N President] Shahbaz Sharif,” he said.