Cabinet glosses over PTI ban, treason trial

PM denounces vilification campaign against military; online visa system for 126 countries approved

ISLAMABAD:

A federal cabinet meeting on Wednesday did not take up the hotly-debated political topics of banning the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and initiating treason trial against party founder Imran Khan, former president Arif Alvi and former National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Suri.

Charing the cabinet meeting, however, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the vilification campaign on the PTI website against Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir, the Pakistani forces and their families.

The meeting approved a major initiative aimed at boosting investment and tourism in the country, allowing online visa application system for the citizens of 126 countries without any visa fees. It also approved visa-free entry for businessmen of friendly countries.

The meeting did not take up the issue of a ban on the PTI, as announced by Information Minister Ataullah Tarar last week. Similarly, the matter of invoking Article 6 of the Constitution [high treason] against Alvi, Imran and Suri was also not considered.

Addressing the cabinet, Shehbaz said that a certain group of people in the country committed the May 9 violence. It was the same group, he added, whom the nation identified as those who attacked government buildings and the state television station in the past.

"This same armed group is using new tactics to destroy the peace of the country," Shehbaz told the ministers, adding that the official website of the PTI was talking against the army chief and the forces of Pakistan and their families.

Shehbaz said that prosperity would come if there was peace in the region. After the recent wave of terrorism in the country, he said, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif went to Afghanistan and told the Afghan Taliban about the involvement of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in terrorist attacks.

He also mentioned the recent attack on the Pakistani consulate in the German city of Frankfurt. "The incident in Germany is sad and the Foreign Office took immediate action on it. Unfortunately, the embassies of Pakistan are being attacked. It is our duty to ensure the security of embassies."

He announced that the policy of establishing "e-gates" was being implemented. "No visa fee would be charged from tourists and businessmen of 126 countries. This initiative will boost our tourism. If dollars come through the collective efforts, there will be progress," he said.

According to a press release issued after the meeting, the ministers took important decisions. "The federal cabinet, in its meeting, approved enforcement of online visa application system for the citizens of 126 countries," the press release said.

"Under the system, the citizens of these 126 countries would get business and tourist visa within 24 hours and they would be exempted from paying visa processing fee," it continued. The move, it said, "aimed at the promotion of business and investment activities and tourism sector.

Besides, the cabinet approved separate sub-category in the visa on arrival facility to facilitate the Sikh Yatrees having passports of third country. A dashboard would be introduced at the interior ministry to supervise the online visa system.

The cabinet approved the issuance of notification for the establishment of special courts and banking courts with regard to banking cases, as recommended by Islamabad, Balochistan, Sindh, Lahore and Peshawar high courts and the law ministry.

These special and banking courts – to be established in Islamabad, Quetta, Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Peshawar – would function under the Security & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). The cabinet also approved increase in the number of board members of the Privatisation Commission (PC).

A resolution was also passed by the cabinet in support of Palestinians. It demanded of the international community to impose embargoes on Israel for its war crimes besides initiating other legal, diplomatic and administrative measures. "A state gone berserk should be made to abide by the international laws."