Govt didn't delay IMF graft report: FinMin

In Senate session, JUI-F floats idea of parliamentary panel visiting Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD:

Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb has firmly rejected the perception that the government delayed or attempted to withhold the publication of the IMF's Technical Assistance Report on Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment in Pakistan.

"The document underwent a rigorous review process involving extensive consultations," the minister told the Senate on Monday while winding up the debate on a motion moved by Senator Kamran Murtaza.

"I come from the private sector. When a report is issued, it is circulated among departments, feedback is taken, some points are incorporated, others are rejected.

"This process takes time—even two to two-and-a-half months. The same happened here. Around 100 meetings were held, 30 entities were involved, comments were received, discussed again, and only then was the report published," he said.

Calling claims of deliberate delay "illogical", Aurangzeb said the government had facilitated the entire process and had "no reason not to publish" the report.

The minister said the government was already working to digitise various processes to curb leakages and reduce human discretion—measures he stressed were essential for lowering corruption.

"As you take out human intervention, corruption declines," he added, assuring lawmakers that further details would be shared with the house.

Earlier, Kamran Murtaza said the IMF report stated that in the last two years, the performance graph of the judiciary had drastically fallen.

"Their love affair with the IMF has been ongoing for two years, and yet the report still highlights corruption in the country. The Auditor General has also pointed to trillions in corruption," he added.

PTI Senator Aon Abbas, addressing the house, said Pakistan's most popular leader—Imran Khan—was in jail and had not been allowed to meet anyone for the past one and a half months.

He said for a month Imran's sisters have been hearing from various international media outlets that their incarcerated brother is not well. "Tomorrow is Tuesday—let lawyers and sisters meet him. At least let us see him from a distance so we know our leader is alive," he said.

Senate Deputy Chairman Syedaal Khan urged both the government and the opposition to sit together, saying all political parties needed to engage in dialogue to resolve issues.

Senator Kamran Murtaza proposed forming a parliamentary committee to check on the PTI founder's health. Senator Ali Zafar supported the idea, saying a parliamentary committee should indeed be formed to meet him.

PTI Senator Mashal Yousafzai said she had no news of her leader for a month and did not know about his health.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)