Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said the high-level commission being set up to probe heavy loans taken over the past 10 years will also hold Iqama holders accountable, a private TV channel reported.
Addressing a meeting of senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders at the Bani Gala residence, the prime minister took the participants into confidence over his initiatives against corruption. He briefed the gathering about the debt probe commission and its mechanism, adding that the team members as well as terms of reference of the commission will be announced soon.
On June 11, Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced to establish a high-powered commission under his own supervision to investigate Rs 24,000 billion loans taken by the previous governments in past 10 years. The commission will comprise officials from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
During the meeting on Saturday, the prime minister took stock of the political and economic situation of the country, and also discussed the matter of arrest of political bigwigs like Asif Ali Zardari, Faryal Talpur and Hamza Shehbaz. The prime minister reportedly claimed that arrested opposition leaders were approaching the government to secure some kind of relief along the lines of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) to evade the cases formed against them.
The prime minister reportedly told the meeting that the economy has stabilised after a difficult journey. He also defended the decisions taken by the PTI government over the past eight months to stablise the economy, saying the country will have gone bankrupt if tough decisions had not been made. “We are currently paying the largest sum in terms of interest in the history of Pakistan,” he said. “The country has seen a 30% decrease in the current account deficit,” he revealed, and hoped that the economy will now move on the path of prosperity.
The initiatives like ‘Ehsas’ as well as poverty alleviation projects announced in line with prime minister’s vision of making Pakistan a self-reliant welfare state also came under discussion at the meeting. PM’s Advisor on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs Abdul Hafeez Sheikh briefed the participants about the recently announced federal budget and government’s economic objectives.
Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Shabbar Zaidi addressed the meeting and explained reform initiatives being undertaken for broadening the tax base and meeting taxation goals set by the board.
