Shireen Mazari Calls For Probe Against Officials For Failing To Secure Membership Of FATF

Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shireen Mehrunnisa Mazari on Tuesday called for a thorough probe against specific officials and ministers of previous governments, for their failure to secure membership of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jun, 2019 ) :Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shireen Mehrunnisa Mazari on Tuesday called for a thorough probe against specific officials and ministers of previous governments, for their failure to secure membership of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for Pakistan.

Participating in the budget debate, she said, "Parliament should conduct an investigation against specific members of bureaucracy, foreign ministers and institutional heads ( of previous governments) for not applying for the membership of FATF." She said that Financial Action Tack Force was established by the G-7 countries in 1989 to act against money laundering. She alleged that previous government did not apply for the membership just to hide their money laundering and corruption.

She said, "Past leadership did not apply for the membership, because their money laundering and corruption would have been exposed".

The Minister said that Pakistan was still facing the negative affects of not becoming the member of FATF. "We would not have faced difficulties, if we were part of FATF," she added.

She said that Pakistan did suffer huge losses as it was not member of an important institution like FATF.

She also asked for an investigation into non-registration of Pakistan India bilateral agreement, signed in 2008 in United Nations regarding not giving counselor access to spies arrested in each other's countries.

She was of the view that if the agreement would have been registered in UN, International Court of Justice would not have been able to entertain the Indian case about counselor access to Kulbhushan Jadhav.

The minister said that as per the international laws, bilateral agreement singed between the two countries was required to be registered with the United Nations. She said that international institutions only recognized agreement registered with the United Nations.

Pakistan Muslim League (N) MNA Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf asked the government to pay more attention to agriculture sector.

He also suggested the government to take steps for the export of agri-based products.

He also asked government to decrease the price of fertilizers.

Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah said that his party desired that present government should complete its constitutional tenure. He also suggested to the government to increase the tax limit for government employees.

Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali said motorway network should be extended to Balochistan and health and school facilities be provided to people of the province.

Zulfikar Bachani said the budget was not pro-people and added there was no substantive relief for poor.

Muhammad Akram Cheema thanked the Prime Minister Imran Khan for allocating Rs 34 billion for the development of Karachi.

Syed Iftikharul Hasan said the government should reduce prices of essential commodities used by poor people.

Raja Riaz held the different governments of PML-N responsible for corruption and mismanagement in the country in the previous decades.

On a point of explanation, State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said Prime Minister Imran Khan was a devoted follower of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and he went barefoot to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage.

He recalled an incident when Imran Khan before becoming Prime Minister refused to attend a conference in India because infamous writer Salman Rushdi was also present there.

He said Imran Khan at international forums demanded that sanctity of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) should be protected and all religion and religious personalities should be held in high esteem.

MNA Atta Ullah alleged those who were in previous governments, looted the country.

He said citizens of Karachi were maltreated in the past, adding those who were in power, did not take action to check land occupation in Sindh.

He said AIDS was spreading in Larkana and people of Karachi were without water. He demanded that a special committee should be formed to investigate affairs of people involved in illegal water business in Karachi.