Politics

Shaukat Tarin opposes PM Imran Khan’s public outburst against EU envoys

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

I think PM Imran Khan should not have said in public what he said, says Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin.
PM Imran Khan in a speech had lashed out at EU states for asking Pakistan to vote against Russia at UNGA.
Finance minister says FATF’s move to keep Pakistan on grey-list is a political decision.

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on Wednesday expressed his opposition to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s public outburst against European Union envoys in a rally in Vehari.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Tarin said the PM should not have slammed the EU envoys in front of the public.

The PM in his speech on Sunday had lashed out at the EU states for asking Pakistan to vote against Russia at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and condemn the invasion of Ukraine.

“EU ambassadors wrote a letter to Pakistan, asking us to issue an anti-Russia statement. I ask EU ambassadors did you write that letter to India as well?” PM Imran had said.

“When India broke international law in Kashmir and abrogated Kashmir’s autonomous status, did anyone of you break ties with India, end trade or criticise [New Delhi]?” he continued.

“What are we? Are we your slaves? Do we do what you say?” the premier had stated, inviting criticism from the Opposition.

Responding to a question today about the prime minister’s speech, Tarin said: “I think the prime minister should not have said in public what he said.”

To another query regarding the FATF’s decision to keep Pakistan on the grey-list, he said it is a political decision by the anti-money laundering watchdog.

“Pakistan has complied with 26 of the 27 conditions,” he said.

The finance minister said the government is providing a subsidy of Rs104 billion on petroleum products in order to provide relief to the people.

He said given the soaring prices of petroleum products in the international market, the government has reduced the petroleum levy and brought to zero the sales tax.

Shaukat Tarin said that those using 700 units of electricity per month will be provided with a subsidy of five rupees per unit for the next four months. For this, he said, we will have to give a subsidy of 136 billion rupees.

The minister said negotiations have been held with the IMF over this relief package announced by the prime minister.

“The IMF should not have objections on the package as we are meeting it from our own resources including enhancement in tax revenues. This [relief package] will not increase our fiscal deficit.”

Shaukat Tarin said the government has also given industrial relief package to promote industries in the country. He said the package envisages tax holiday for overseas Pakistanis and incentives for the turnaround of sick industries.

The finance minister said tax exemptions have also been given to the IT sector in order to significantly bolster its exports.

He pointed out that the IT sector grew by 47% last year and currently growing by 70%. He said they are targeting 100% growth in this sector during the next year.

Shaukat Tarin said our trade deficit has also come down but due to heightened political activity, this good news was overshadowed.

Latest News

Sheikh Rashid claims he doesn’t communicate with the PTI’s founder or any other leader.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the president of the Pakistan Awami Muslim League and former interior minister, claims not to be in contact with the founder or any other leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

In an interview with media outside the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi, he said that only Shibli Faraz was qualified to discuss talks between the PTI and the Establishment.

Regarding the deputy prime minister position, he stated that Pakistan’s constitution did not contain such a clause. He chided that “only the Jati Umra constitution offers the slot of deputy prime minister.”

He predicted that Pakistan would have an economic crisis within the next two months. “Industrialists are already facing tough conditions and now growers are up in arms,” he claimed.

He claimed that the purchasing of wheat had not yet started and that the general public’s financial situation was appalling.

The former federal minister reaffirmed that prisoners should be released from custody if they are innocent and unrelated to crimes.

He requested that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) be made aware of the wheat scam right now.

The following two months would be critical for Pakistani politics, thus he asked the administration to reconsider its policy.

Latest News

“I never left PTI,” says Fawad Chaudhry, doing a U-turn.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Fawad Chaudhry, a former federal minister, claimed that he remained a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Speaking to the media outside Rawalpindi’s Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday, the former minister claimed that the current administration lacks credibility because of its stance on the Form-47.

The senior lawmaker declared, “If Maulana Fazl ur Rehman and PTI join hands, the government cannot even last for three months.”

He went on to say that an election that was manipulated led to the formation of the administration.

“We want to bring down the political temperature because we are going through a difficult time,” Fawad stated.

The former minister claimed he had not yet shared his narrative because he would do so at the appropriate moment.

“I’m very happy to have met all of my pals today. May we all go forward towards a typical circumstance,” he said in closing.

The prominent politician had previously stated that she left PTI following the bloodshed on May 9 of last year.

In a news conference last year, Fawad Chaudhry, the senior vice president of PTI, announced his departure from the organisation and his intention to take a sabbatical from politics.

Latest News

The nomination of Ishaq Dar as deputy prime minister raises concerns.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

A lot of doubts have been raised by Ishaq Dar, the foreign minister, being appointed deputy prime minister.

No reference to the Constitution, regulations, or any other law was mentioned in the Cabinet Division’s notification of the appointment.

What powers Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used to designate Ishaq Dar as deputy prime minister has come under scrutiny in light of this.

There are questions about the legal foundation for the deputy prime minister’s nomination as it appears from the notification’s phrasing that rules for the position have not yet been established, according to insiders.

Likewise, the announcement is vague about the deputy prime minister’s proposed authority.

Deputy prime minister would be purely symbolic, according to government sources, and would not be authorized to carry out prime ministerial duties. In Pakistan, the deputy prime minister has previously been nominated.

The PPP administration appointed Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as deputy prime minister.

Observe that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was appointed deputy prime minister on Sunday with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s consent; the Cabinet Division formally announced the appointment.

Dar holds the position of Pakistan’s fourth deputy prime minister. Previous appointments to the position of deputy prime ministers included Parvez Elahi, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and Begum Nusrat Bhutto.