ISLAMABAD:
With tax exemptions granted to the merged tribal districts set to expire at the end of the month, the government on Friday moved to reassure the opposition that it would seek an extension from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), while the two sides also used a rare face-to-face meeting to discuss broader political dialogue and democratic engagement.
The breakthrough came after senior government and PTI leaders met in Parliament following concerns raised by the opposition in the National Assembly over the impending expiration of tax exemptions for the former Fata and Pata regions.
The government has said it will take up the issue with the IMF, while the PTI has indicated its willingness to engage in dialogue and even consider a broader democratic charter.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Prime Minister’s Advisor on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb had assured the opposition that efforts would be made to secure an extension of the tax exemptions.
“The Minister of Finance promised [the opposition] that he will seek to extend these exemptions after discussing with the IMF and, God willing, he will make efforts for that,” Sanaullah said.
The meeting took place in Aurangzeb’s chamber and was attended by Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Minister Amir Muqam from the government side, while PTI leaders Asad Qaiser, Junaid Akbar and party MLAs from erstwhile tribal districts represented the opposition.
Sanaullah said PTI lawmakers had raised the issue of tax exemptions before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during National Assembly proceedings earlier in the day, prompting the prime minister to order him, Aurangzeb and Amir Muqam to immediately engage with the opposition.
According to Sanaullah, Muqam had already actively looked into this issue and the government remained hopeful that the exemptions could be extended after taking the IMF into confidence.
Besides the tax issue, the meeting also touched on the broader political environment, with Sanaullah emphasizing 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 negotiations and the draft ‘Charter of Pakistan’, Sanaullah urged the opposition to engage.
“This offer must be accepted. You must engage in dialogue with the Prime Minister.
“You can discuss any issue. He is ready to listen and discuss any topic,” the advisor said.
Terming 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 National Assembly resolution passed unanimously earlier in the day, which commended Pakistani leaders for their role in facilitating the recent peace agreement between the United States and Iran.
Commenting on the health condition of PTI founder Imran Khan, Sanaullah said the former prime minister, who is undergoing treatment for an eye disease during his incarceration at Adiala Prison in Rawalpindi, was receiving the “best treatment available in Pakistan”.
He added that Khan remained in judicial custody and any release could only come through the courts.
Commenting on the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sanaullah said it was a “heinous conspiracy to create agitation and disrupt the freedom movement for the sake of freedom”. [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
Speaking after the meeting, PTI leader Asad Qaiser welcomed the prospect of democratic engagement and said his party was ready to support broader political understanding.
“We are ready at any time for negotiations for real democracy,” he said.
Qaiser said the PTI would be willing to sign a “Charter of Democracy”, provided it ensures equal political rights and institutional independence.
“There should be no [political] vendetta against anyone, the judiciary must be independent and parliament must be strengthened,” he said.
He confirmed that the two parties also discussed the proposed federal budget and raised their concerns directly with the Minister of Finance.
Among those concerns, he highlighted a proposed tobacco tax and warned that some tax measures could further harm economic activity at a time when trade with Afghanistan remained suspended.
He said some of the proposed measures would “ruin the remaining economy”.
Responding to a question, Qaiser noted that the engagement was not initiated by a single party.
The meeting, he said, was held at the request of the government and the opposition.
