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NAB law being amended in next few weeks: Tarin

Talking in Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ on Tuesday, he said bureaucracy was not performing well due to the fear of accountability watchdog.

By News Desk
July 14, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin believes NAB Law will have to be amended, and some developments in this regard are taking place in the next few weeks.

Talking in Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ on Tuesday, he said bureaucracy was not performing well due to the fear of accountability watchdog. He said that earlier LNG was imported from Qatar at 13.7% above the Brent rate, and later on at 10.4% above the Brent rate. Despite such a lower import rate, NAB had summoned the files of the agreement.

The minister admitted that the import bill was going up due to increase in oil prices and import of machinery. He said the import bill was expected to reach $5-6 billion if we showed growth.

He said he was not sure that the current account would remain surplus in the next year also. However, he added, it would incur a deficit to the extent which would be manageable for the government. He said the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was being held, which would discuss foreign funding in various projects, and CPEC was also becoming functional now which would give a boost to the economy.

Shaukat Tarin said the biggest opportunity available to Pakistan currently was China. It gave Pakistan the funds, and the government was establishing special economic zones. He said Chinese companies were relocating from Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar currently, and we would have to bring them here.

He said the Board of Investment performed below average during the past months, and its performance would have to be improved. Also, he added, CPEC Authority also needed to be revamped.

The minister said no raise would be made in electricity tariff this year, however oil prices might see a hike if prices went up in the international market. He said one main reason for food inflation was import of food items from abroad. He said some out-of-box methods would be introduced to increase tax collection in the country.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry Tuesday said developments like ban on books in Punjab are a cause of concern.

The minister told Shahzeb Khanzada that the board has been formed by the Punjab Assembly which is looking into these issues. He said he was surprised that those who haven’t read a book in their lives are making decisions about the future of children in Punjab. He said it is not the first time that strange decisions have been made about books in Punjab.

Fawad Chaudhry said the removal of Malala Yousafzai’s picture from the textbook is not the problem of a political party, but it reflects division in our society. He said decisions like this will take away the gains in war against extremism.