ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties, led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), on Thursday rejected the amnesty scheme announced by Prime Minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and vowed to reject the same in the parliament.
However, religio-political parties and other smaller political outfits were slow to react to the amnesty scheme and most of their leaders either refused to speak over the issue or did not respond to calls on their phones.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan led the tirade against the amnesty scheme, claiming that it was another effort to give legal cover to the corrupt practices of the ruling elite, vowing that his party would oppose this move at all forums.
Taking a jibe at PM Abbasi, Khan said that the prime minister’s tenure would end within seven weeks, therefore, he could not take long-term measures to legalise money amassed through corruption. Addressing a public rally in Sindh, he also vowed to investigate all efforts that were being made to whiten black money through legal channels.
He said that PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) governments had introduced successive amnesty schemes but had miserably failed to broaden the tax net.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari criticised the amnesty scheme and tweeted that the PPP government had made efforts to provide interest-free loans to poor women, while the PML-N was writing off loans taken by the rich.
“We introduced subsidies for poor peasants while the incumbent government is giving tax amnesty scheme to the rich.,” the tweet said.
Senator Raza Rabbani of PPP also opposed the move, saying that his party would strongly oppose the scheme in the National Assembly (NA) and the Senate.
Condemning the move, Rabbani said that such schemes were aimed at benefitting the rich businessmen only, adding that PPP would oppose the move in the Senate with full force.
Rabbani said that his party would vigorously oppose the scheme at all levels. “It is a like a legal license for people to whiten their black money,” he said.
Opposition leader Syed Khurshid Shah said that the amnesty scheme was a bad move, especially when the general elections were just around the corner.
Former Law Minister Dr Babar Awan said that the scheme was Nawaz-specific. He claimed that the move was made to indemnify both sons of Nawaz Sharif, namely Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, who were the owners of Avenfield flats and offshore companies.
He also claimed that the amnesty scheme was introduced only after all other options were exhausted by the former prime minister.
On the other hand, PTI central leader Asad Umar said that the scheme had nothing to do with the efforts to broaden the tax net and rather the objective of the ruling party was to whiten their black money.
Talking to media persons, Umar said the prime minister should stop fooling the nation in the name of tax reforms. He said the PML-N government had no shame in imposing multiple taxes on the taxpayers but no serious efforts were ever made to bring the tax evaders into the tax net during their tenure.
He further said that rather than taking serious measures, now the federal government had announced another amnesty scheme, despite the fact that the previous amnesty schemes introduced by them had failed to lure the rich tax evaders.
“Launching the amnesty scheme without consulting the parliament is tantamount to contempt of the parliament. I warn the government not to bypass the parliament. In case, the government decides to continue its autocratic rule, PTI would strongly oppose it on all fronts,” he warned.
He also said that the NA Standing Committee on Finance had unanimously passed a resolution stating that no amnesty scheme should be announced without prior consultation with the relevant NA standing committee.
PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman said that her party had always encouraged widening the tax net, adding, “This is not the usual Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) amnesty introduced to widen the tax dragnet. She also said, “We would not allow any money laundering scheme to be passed in the Senate.”
Nabil Gabol of PPP said PM Abbasi had legalised offshore companies through the amnesty scheme. He said that the prime minister had tricked the nation in the name of yet another amnesty scheme.
He also said it was an irony that the prime minister himself had launched the amnesty scheme which reflected the frustration of the Sharif family, adding that the move had exposed the plot altogether.
