Advisor to the Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Qamar Zaman Kaira on Saturday said that proactive diplomacy and strong support of the armed forces helped the country to exit from grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The prime minister’s aide was talking to media while sharing his thoughts on current political issues. Kiara said that the FATF was a global forum with representation of the world countries. However, the country was facing its restrictions since 2018; he said and felicitated the entire nation on finally getting removed from it. He alleged that the previous regime of Imran Khan tried to get out of FATF list but his government had spoiled its ties with world institutions and countries and continued to threaten them and made the country’s foreign policy a sitcom at the global fora. He argued that how it was possible to manage eviction from FATF’s grey list after damaging relationships with the US, Turkiye, China, and KSA. “It needed a practical diplomacy which has been ensured by the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar who addressed and represented Pakistan at various international forums.”
“Our armed forces also fully supported the political government and they also extended this favor to Imran Khan regime but it could avail that opportunity,” he said.
Commenting on Imran Khan’s backdoor contacts with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, he said that it was a coalition government and all its decisions were made after mutual consensus and consultations with all the parties.
“We in the Opposition had asked Imran Khan to resolve the national issues through dialogues as it is not possible for a single party to resolve such pressing and complex issues,” he added.
The advisor commented that it was Khan’s own accusations and objections during his tenure on the offers extended by his party to hold talks on national matters. “If he has returned to dialogue, then it will be done in the better national interest.”
He noted that there were decisions previously given against the politicians, adding, “Is it a licence for a popular leader to do malpractices?”. Khan himself demanded universal rule of law but the question is ‘did Imran sold the gifts?” Kaira said that selling out Tosha Khana gifts was ethically wrong but not legally however buying those gifts worth Rs150 million in Rs30 million was wrong, adding that, and then selling it for Rs150 million is wrong because that amount had to be shown in the assets declaration and proper tax had to be paid which has not been done and is wrong. He added that the concealment of assets was a crime and Mian Nawaz Sharif’s case was also pleaded on the issue that he had not declared the salary that was liable on him but he did not take it from his son’s company and also not declared it in his assets. Khan’s crime is tax evasion and asset concealment. It has to be decided that either public or institutions will make decisions as public decision will be political and legal decisions will be made as per law, he expressed.
