ISLAMABAD:
With tax exemptions for the merged tribal districts set to expire at the end of the month, the government moved on Friday to reassure the opposition that it would seek an extension from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), while both sides also used a rare face-to-face meeting to discuss wider political dialogue and democratic engagement.
The breakthrough came after senior government and PTI leaders met at Parliament House following concerns raised by the opposition in the National Assembly over the impending expiry of tax exemptions for the former Fata and Pata regions.
The government said it would take up the matter with the IMF, while the PTI signaled its willingness to engage in dialogue and even consider a broader democratic charter.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb had assured the opposition that efforts would be made to secure an extension of tax exemptions.
“The finance minister has promised that [the opposition] that he will seek to extend these exemptions after talking to the IMF and God will make an effort for that,” Sanaullah said.
The meeting took place in Aurangzeb’s chamber and was attended by Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam from the government side, while PTI leaders Asad Qaiser, Junaid Akbar and party MNAs from the former tribal districts represented the opposition.
Sanaullah said the PTI lawmakers had raised the issue of tax exemptions for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the National Assembly proceedings earlier in the day, prompting the premier to direct him, Aurangzeb and Amir Muqam to immediately engage the opposition.
According to Sanaullah, Muqam had already actively pursued the case and the government remained hopeful that the exemptions could be extended after taking the IMF into confidence.
In addition to the tax issue, the meeting also touched on the wider political environment, with Sanaullah stressing that dialogue remained essential to democratic politics.
“This is the foundation of democracy,” he said.
Referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s standing offer for talks and a proposed “Pakistan Charter”, Sanaullah urged the opposition to engage.
“That offer should be accepted. You should have a dialogue with the Prime Minister.
“You can discuss any subject you want. He is willing to listen and discuss any subject,” the adviser said.
Describing the opposition’s response as encouraging, Sanaullah said PTI representatives informed the government that consultations were underway within the party and a decision would be taken soon.
He also appreciated the opposition’s support for a unanimously passed National Assembly resolution earlier in the day that praised Pakistan’s leadership for its role in promoting the recent US-Iran peace deal.
Commenting on PTI founder Imran Khan’s health, Sanaullah said the former prime minister, who is undergoing treatment for an eye disease while incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, was receiving the “best treatment available in Pakistan”.
He added that Khan remained in judicial custody and that any release could only be through the courts.
Regarding the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sanaullah said the “cruel conspiracy to create agitation and disrupt the freedom movement for a free [occupied] Kashmir has been brought under control”.
He expressed hope that the “slight interruption in supply [chains]” would be resolved within a week.
PTI’s response
After the meeting, PTI leader Asad Qaiser welcomed the prospect of democratic engagement and said his party was prepared to support a broader political understanding.
“We are ready for negotiations at any time for real democracy,” he said.
Qaiser said the PTI would be willing to sign a “Charter of Democracy” provided it guaranteed equal political rights and institutional independence.
“There shouldn’t be any [political] vendetta against anyone, judiciary should be independent and parliament should be strengthened,” he said.
He confirmed that both sides had also discussed the proposed federal budget and conveyed their concerns directly to the finance minister.
Among those concerns, he singled out a proposed tax on tobacco and warned that certain fiscal measures could further hurt economic activity at a time when trade with Afghanistan remained suspended.
He said some of the proposed moves would “destroy what economy is left”.
In response to a question, Qaiser noted that the engagement had not been initiated by one side alone.
The meeting, he said, was held at the request of both the government and the opposition.
