Govt committed to reforms as per IMF agreement

Islamabad : Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Wednesday said the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was reflective of the fact that the government was geared up for reforms and will abide by financial discipline.

The special assistant while speaking on the much-discussed agreement with the donor agency said that the agreement with IMF and the Asset Declaration Scheme had been appreciated by the business community as well as public.

She said that it would be ensured that the weak segments of the society were well-protected in the agreement with IMF on a financial package.

About the Asset Declaration Scheme, the special assistant maintained that the prime objective of this initiative was aimed at documentation of the economy and to include dead assets in the national economy and start running them.

The government, she noted, wanted to provide ample opportunities to all segments of the society, including the business community, to regularize their assets by paying nominal taxes.

Dr Awan pointed out that the Pakistan Housing Scheme, Clean and Green Pakistan and the Ehsas programme to fight poverty were important steps towards realization of the vision of the Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Meanwhile, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Central Information Secretary Omar Sarfraz Cheema said that the Asset Declaration Ordinance offered last opportunity to people, who had not yet declared their assets and wealth to declare them and regularize them.

He made it clear that after the time for availing this scheme ended, any property in benami or account, would be confiscated by the government. He emphsised that the accounts and assets in the name of vendors would be confiscated.

Cheema maintained that the opposition should now desist from raising hue and cry and resorting to needless criticism and instead, declare their concealed assets of face action. He contended that in order to pulling out Pakistan from sorry state of economic affairs, it was imperative to fight corruption in all its forms.

Dr Awan also tweeted that Shahid Khaqan Abbasi should tell the nation as to how Airblue was in profit while the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was running into losses during past Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rule.

In a tweet, she said Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was a puppet prime minister and followed the dictations of Sharif family. She urged him to better think as a Pakistani and not Sharifs only.

The SAPM said accountability process could only be carried out by a person, who was sincere and whose hands were clean.

The special assistant said the PML-N leadership used to claim that it would recover money from Asif Zardari.

She said that the leaders and spokespersons of the opposition were hypnotised by their corrupt leaders and speak whatever was being dictated to them.