LAHORE, OCT 30 /DNA/ – Pakistan Businesses Forum hailing Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) decision of Pakistan’s removal from the grey list, but the PBF officials on Sunday demanded that now we should proactively detect and counter threats associated with perils like money laundering and terror financing. Criminal elements involved in the process should be penalised and deprived of illicit proceeds. The role of established financial intelligence units and other supporting bodies is critical as it can ensure that relevant information is appropriately shared and used by the competent authorities while investigating cases of money laundering and terrorist financing.

PBF President, Mian Usman Zulfiqar said the only way forward is to introduce a robust system that will not only help in detecting and mitigating potential threats, but will also help in achieving a higher conviction rate to restrict crimes designated by the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs), the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), using our financial systems.

He however lauded the efforts of civil and military leadership for achieving the landmark success for the country and said that it would further cement the government’s endeavours to attain sustainable economic development.

President PBF further said it will also address the liquidity issues as releases from the multilateral and other donor agencies such as IMF, ADB, WB and Paris Club would further enhance, he said adding that it would further boost the “credibility and rating of the local economy that would attract foreign direct investment”.

Meanwhile, Vice President Jahanara Wattoo said that the removal from FATF’s grey list would boost the confidence of international creditors and donors agencies including International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank and other development agencies.

She said that the decision would also help in promoting soft image of the country in all international forums, adding that the credit rating of Pakistan would improve as well, which will be another development signal for the economy of the country.

Pakistan had borne accumulative financial losses to the tune of $40 billion during the last three years as it was put on the grey list of FATF, she said, adding that the removal would attract more export orders from abroad and help in bridging the widening trade deficit.

“Besides, it will also help reduce rupee-dollar parity as well as ease negotiations with IMF and other multilateral donors and creditors,” he said, adding that it will also provide positive input for the rescheduling of all payable and creating sufficient liquidity scope for the country; Wattoo added.

Vice President Ahmad Jawad said that it was a good omen that FATF excluded Pakistan from the grey list of global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering after over four years, in a major setback to India which had always tried to keep Pakistan on the list.

He said as a result of FATF’s decision, economic activities would accelerate and greatly help to restore the confidence of investors across the globe.

Jawad said it is worth mentioning here that FATF, which was mandated to keep watch globally on money laundering and terrorism financing, on October 21 (Friday) removed Pakistan from the grey list as it had been on the grey list since June 2018.

Similarly we may also revisit our foreign assets recovery regulations and framework for future as per the international best practices to ensure that any request for Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) issued to seek cooperation must be corroborated with facts and accompanied by evidence; he added.

LAHORE, OCT 29 – Punjab Chief Minster Pervaiz Elahi said on Saturday that former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan will not hold talks with any committee of the government and talks on election date are also underway with where the matter would resolve.

In his exclusive conversation with hosts Ajmal Jami and Mujeebur Rahman Shamal in Dunya News program “Nuqta Nazar”, the Punjab Chief Minister said that politics has nothing to do with the heat or cold and if the weather is hot, we will try to cool it down.

He also thanked Imran Khan for trusting him and making the chief minister of the province. No one else other than me knows Sharif, he said and added Nawaz Sharif started a feud with the then army chief when he became the Prime Minister with a two-thirds majority. “He [Nawaz Sharif] also had feud with Ali Qulli, Perved Musharraf and Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa,” Elahi added.

Pervaiz Elahi went on to say that Imran Khan’s biggest issue is election date and want the date to be announced, adding that a ray of hope is seen during the long march, while the incumbent govt want election to be held after completion of tenure.

When Pervaiz Elahi was asked that if the negotiations were going on, then why DG ISI needed a press conference, he replied that he would not talk about it and we hope that the talks will lead to a solution. Everyone including PDM, PM, Imran Khan I want extension for Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and the former had said that it would be better if the Army Chief is given extension.

“Imran Khan is my leader and will do whatever he would ask,” Elahi said, adding that the PTI chairman will never tolerate these thieves.

Ferozwala, OCT 29: Second day of PTI’s long march comes to an end in Ferozwala; govt rules out talks. PTI Chairman Imran Khan has taken an oath from his supporters to always abide by the Constitution as the party’s long march reached Ferozewala.

“No one hands freedom on a plate. You have to struggle for it,” he told the charged crowd before he and other PTI leaders raised their hands to take an oath.

LAHORE, OCT 29: PTI chief Imran Khan has dubbed the recent joint press conference by the chiefs of the country’s premier spy agency and military’s media affairs wing “foolish”, claiming that only “lies and half-truths” were told in it.

He made these remarks an interview with BBC Urdu on Friday night after the start of his protest march in Lahore.

When asked if he had made the army chief the offer to extend his tenure indefinitely, Imran said he was quoted out of context.

The former prime minister, who is currently leading his party’s anti-government long march towards Islamabad, has been increasingly critical of the army since his ouster as the country’s chief executive through a no-confidence vote in April.

On Thursday, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum joined Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) DG Lt Gen Babar Iftikhar spoke to the media and addressed Imran’s confrontational narrative against the military, among other issues.

During the explosive press conference, Lt Gen Anjum claimed that Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa was given a “lucrative offer” in March for an extension in his tenure, but it was rejected.

While the ISI chief did not elaborate any further on this subject, it is being perceived that the said offer was made by then-prime minister Imran to seek the army chief’s intervention and survive the opposition’s no-confidence vote.

When BBC Urdu asked Imran about it, he said: “Things have been taken out of context that we made an offer for an extension. Did they tell which side made the offer? In what context the discussion took place? If they tell the whole story, it would be very embarrassing for them.”

The former prime minister went on to describe the press conference as “very sad” as the ISI chief had never before held a press conference in such a manner. “I can respond to it point by point, which could be very embarrassing for the army.”

He continued, “But we don’t want any harm to our institution of the army as our enemies want the army to weaken and in turn, Pakistan weakens.”

Imran was also asked about the DG ISI highlighting contradictions in his statements about the army chief.

Without naming anyone, LT Gen Anjum had said: “If you see him as a traitor, then why do you meet him through the back door? […] Don’t do this where you meet quietly at night through the back door and express your unconstitutional wishes but call [the army chief] a traitor in broad daylight.”

In reply, the PTI chief said, “We will praise when they will do good.

“It is childish to [think] that if we praise you, you will always be good. You also appreciate your children but also criticise them when they do something bad. It was actually a very foolish press conference.”

The ISI chief’s press conference was the first instance in Pakistan’s history of the head of the country’s spy agency directly addressing the media. During it, the ISPR chief had also announced that the military establishment had decided that it would restrict itself to its constitutional role.

But Imran has raised questions on the press, saying that if institutions were apolitical what was the purpose of holding a “political presser”.

In the interview with BBC Urdu, Imran also clarified that he “does not want to come to power because of the establishment’s approval”.

Answering a question about his ties with the establishment, he insisted that his party’s win in 2018 elections was not engineered by the military.

The PTI chief said that the purpose of his protest march was free and fair elections and that was why his party wanted to introduce electronic voting machines. But the “two big parties and the [chief] election commissioner, who takes orders from elsewhere, did not let it happen,” he regretted. “As a result, our election will always be controversial and chances of interference will remain.”

He elaborated that while the long march was aimed at free and fair elections, the broader purpose of the PTI’s struggle for “Haqiqi Azadi” (true freedom) was that “Pakistan’s decisions be taken inside Pakistan.

“That nobody dictates us from outside … I want an independent foreign policy.”

Moreover, the PTI chief continued, “I want the supremacy of law”.

“Here, there is the law of jungle,” he lamented, decrying people being picked up, them being subjected to torture, restrictions on the media and the treatment of journalists in the country.

Imran also called on Gen Bajwa to take action against the alleged custodial torture of PTI Senator Azam Swati.

“If he wants to protect the image of the institution of the army, Gen Bajwa should take action,” the PTI chief urged.

Regarding his long march, he said, “The way people will gather in Islamabad will be unprecedented in Pakistan’s history. This is my prediction. I am aware of people’s pulse.”

Long march day 2: Marriyum rules out negotiations with Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD, OCT 29 /DNA/ – Fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists, in general area Darazinda, District Dera Ismail Khan.

Own troops effectively engaged the terrorist’s location. During intense exchange of fire, Naik Sajid Hussain (age 33 years, resident of Khushab) & Sepoy Muhammad Israr (age 26 years, resident of Attock) having fought gallantly, embraced Shahadat.

Sanitization of the area is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area.