Cabinet approves amendments to money laundering, terrorism laws

ISLAMABAD: The cabinet on Tuesday approved amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Bill 2020 as well as Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 to control money laundering and terror financing to the satisfaction of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Information and Broadcasting Minister Senator Shibli Faraz told a press conference after the cabinet meeting that approval was also accorded to the National Health Emergency Response Act 2020 by the cabinet to meet the health emergencies in future.

Shibli said realisation of coordination among the federating units was felt during the coronavirus outbreak and the National Command and Operation Centre overcame the problem and time proved that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s strategy to save lives and livelihoods proved very effective.

To a question, the information minister said the freeing of Khawaja brothers did not mean they had become angels, as the nation fully knew what they were actually and how they destroyed the state institutions. 

He said the media should not give coverage to these people. “They (opposition) wished COVID-19 would have played havoc in the country and wanted the economy to collapse so that they could get rid of the government, which is holding them accountable for their misdeeds,” he asserted.

He said those complaining about the National Accountability Bureau’s high-handedness and excesses on its part today had hindered amends to the NAB law during their tenures in the government.

About the whereabouts of senior journalist Matiullah Jan, the minister said he came to know about it after the cabinet meeting and contacted Interior Minister Ijaz Shah, who was busy with his critically ill brother. However, the minister confirmed that Matiullah Jan had been kidnapped and added they would try to devise a plan on how to recover him, being a government responsibility.

The cabinet, he said, also appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan's decision of making it mandatory for public office-holders to declare their assets to ensure transparency and to increase people's confidence in their representatives.

He emphasised that it was a historic step as no such tradition existed in Pakistan in the past, adding that the cabinet assured the prime minister that they would take forward the PM’s philosophy of transparency.

The minister regretted that the past governments focused on costly power projects while the credit for start of work on Diamer-Bhasha dam went to the PTI government, being the first big dam since the Ayub Khan era. He said it was a project, which would benefit the coming generations of the country by meeting needs of power and water storage.

On availability of wheat and flour in the market, Shibli said the government had allowed both the public and private sector to import the commodity to avoid any shortage while the cabinet gave directives to the ministries concerned to take all steps to stabilise its prices.

The cabinet, he continued, directed the departments and authorities concerned that there should not be any hindrance in transportation of wheat and flour within the country and for meeting the gap between wheat produce and demand. He said the Sindh government would be requested to waive off excise duty on import of wheat.

Shibli said the cabinet also gave approval to the Treasury Single Account Rules 2020, which was introduced to streamline the utilisation of the government funds as in the past every ministry and division had their own accounts, and funds were not utilised properly.

He said that Pakistan was much better than many neighbouring and advanced countries where both economies and health sectors were destroyed by the virus outbreak. He said there was need for observing social distancing by following the standard operating procedures (SOPs) on Eidul Azha so that the spread of the pandemic could be controlled effectively.

The PTI government’s construction sector incentives, he noted, would not only revive the economy but provide homes to the low-income people, a slogan of another political party, but being translated into reality under the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said under the plan mortgage facilities would be extended to the housing sector which would revolutionise the entire concept of house building.

The minister said a report regarding Ehsas Emergency Cash Programme was also presented before the cabinet and that the prime minister appreciated Special Assistant on Poverty Allocation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar and her entire team for transferring cash assistance to the deserving people in a transparent manner and beyond political considerations.

According to the information minister, the PM said that the initiative was taken for betterment of poor segments of society and no political motives were behind it.

He thanked Almighty Allah for His blessings and Prime Minister Imran Khan for providing able leadership to deal with the virus challenge, which had sunk many economies across the globe. He said the unprecedented package for the construction sector and incentives to weak segments of the society to push for their own homes would be a huge step in taking the economy forward, besides provision of jobs to scores of people.

To a question, he said that one could not say anything against the courts, as these people had their vested interests everywhere and at the investigation level, things were made to ensure they could not be held responsible, whereas a judge had to base his judgment on proof and evidence.

He pointed out that even in pilots’ case and now declaring of assets by advisors and special assistants, their agents turned against the government and tried to present a highly positive thing as negative. “This is done, for they know, everything is at stake for them and that is why they issue statements and hold APCs,” he added.

Shibli said that Prime Minister Imran Khan, particularly asked why media dues had not been cleared completely so far and gave one week to the ministries to do the needful so that media persons could get all their salaries. The minister had been tasked to look into the matter.

The minister said a comprehensive system was being worked out, to be backed by the law to ensure timely salaries to journalists. He pointed out that all dues of the electronic media persons had been cleared already and the government would like early payments made to those working for print media.