FM Highlights Importance, Urgency Of Legislation On FATF; Urges Opposition To Keep National Interests Ahead Of Personal

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jul, 2020 ) :Highlighting the importance and urgency of legislation for getting Pakistan's name out of the grey list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday urged the opposition parties to extend cooperation by keeping the national interests ahead of the personal ones.

"The laws introduced by the government are in the national interests. Please keep the interests of Pakistan ahead. Don't blackmail. The government will not be blackmailed," Qureshi said while addressing a press conference here along with Advisor to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Barrister Shehzad Akbar and Parliamentary Secretary Maleeka Bukhari.

He said since India wanted Pakistan's name pushed from the grey list to black list of FATF, failure in getting the legislation on FATF passed, would be very bad for the country.

Referring to the government-opposition negotiations on the legislation, the Foreign Minister said the opposition put conditions for cooperation in FATF-related legislation and wanted the government to accept their amendments in accountability law.

"At one side, there is a national interest, while on the other there is personal interest. We said, don't equate the one with other," he remarked and questioned why the opposition parties did not bring change in the accountability law.

The Foreign Minister said that if the 34 amendments proposed by the opposition were accepted, it would be tantamount to compromise the accountability process.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the present government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who came to power after 22 years of struggle, believed in across the board accountability and was committed to root out the menace of corruption and would never compromise on it.

As regards the remarks made by PML-N leader Khawaja Asif about his speech in the National Assembly, Qureshi said he would only say that the opposition was trying to get their amendments in NAB law approved under the garb of FATF legislation.

The minister said that the corrupt would be dealt with sternly under the law and Insha Allah they would not be able to escape the accountability process.

He reiterated the government's offer and readiness on talks with the opposition on the legislation of national interests and said, "The doors of negotiations are never closed. Breakthroughs emerge after deadlocks".

Regarding his meeting with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Mian Nawaz Sharif in 2013, Qureshi said he was offered the slot of foreign minister by the PML-N but he opted to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and stand with Imran Khan.

With the grace of Allah Almighty, the PTI came to power in 2018 and it would never compromise on the issue of accountability which was the core of its manifesto, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, advisor to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Barrister Shahzad Akbar said that the leaderships of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and Pakistan Peoples Party wanted National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) from the government.

He said opposition's main purpose of proposing 34 amendments in National Accountability Ordinance 1999, "was to spare TT Sharif Family and Zardari and associates from the ongoing accountability." The opposition has managed to languish the bill in Senate Standing Committee for the six months to blackmail the government and enhance their bargaining for amending NAB laws as law making was essential to meet Financial Action Task Force (FATF) deadline.

He said the law making was essential to frustrate Indian efforts of pushing Pakistan into black list from the existing grey list.

"Pakistan was put into grey list in 2018 due to chain of events as the then rulers were himself involved in money laundering," he added.

The advisor said,"There were two champions of 'Charter of Corruption' the PML-N and the PPP, responsible for Pakistan's woes.

Their deeds led to putting the country into grey list." The money laundering through 'Faluda Wala' and corruption by using fake TTs were still fresh in our minds. Former Khadim e Ala Shahbaz Sharif used to present gifts to his wives with TT money. There was no law to check such corruption.

After taking over the reins of the government a task force was constituted to check money laundering by amending relevant laws to meet FATF requirements.

The Advisor said the opposition has suggested that corruption cases of less than one billion rupees, wilful default or writing off loan, and offence of money laundering should stay out of NAB's purview.

He said opposition also wanted that accountability process should be started from 1999 and cases older than five years should not be taken up under NAB law. Besides, they wanted deletion of six offences from the ambit of NAB.

Shahzad Akbar said the government has proposed amendments in three bills for improving laws. The first bill suggests an amendment in Anti Terrorist Act 1997, to enhance punishment and fine up to Rs10 million.

While another Bill titled The Mutual Legal Assistance Act had already been passed by National Assembly. The bill is languishing in Senate Standing Committee with the motive to blackmail the government by dragging it till August, as the government will not have enough time to bargain with the opposition for enacting FATF required laws to save the country going into blacklist.

The government was ready to sit with the opposition on any issue, but it will have to delink its person specific demands on FATF related legislation.� The Advisor said the opposition also desires to make redundant the international mutual legal assistance law and dealing it under law of evidence of Pakistan.

He said if the government gave nod to opposition's amendments; their main beneficiaries will be former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his brother Shehbaz Sharif, former President Asif Ali Zardari, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal and Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah.

He said proposing 34 amendments in NAB law aimed at making anti graft watch dog inactive, adding that opposition wanted to quash NAB references against their top leadership.

The motive behind proposing to start Accountability from 1999, to exclude TT Sharifs and Zardari and co. from out of NAB's Accountability purview.

The corruption committed by PML-N and PPP in their two each terms before 1999 will be simply ousted from NAB's jurisdiction if accountability was started from 1999. The Chaudhry Sugar Mill case will also be closed, he added.

He said opposition has suggested to make the offenders of money laundering non punishable whereas FATF demands strict legislation against the money laundering.

Opposition in their amendments has proposed that the crime of money laundering should be dealt by Banking Courts.

Another proposal is to change the definition of Benamidars, giving free hands to make corruption in the name of wife and children.

Yet another proposed amendment in NAB law suggests allowing convicts to contest elections till final disposal of their cases. And disqualification should be up to only five years only.

The Advisor said the opposition also desires to make redundant the international mutual legal assistance law and dealing it under law of evidence of Pakistan.

He urged the opposition to set aside personal interests and help enacting required legislation to avoid putting the country into black list by FATF.

"They are seeking NRO which could be thrown in trash by the court. The government is ready to improve laws." Speaking on the occasion, Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice Maleeka Bukhari castigated the opposition on preferring personal interest over vital national interests.

India wanted to push Pakistan into black list from grey list, she added