PML-N reacts to PM Imran Khan’s tax amnesty scheme

Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was copying PML-N policies following the announcement of the government’s tax amnesty scheme.

According to The Express Tribune, the former prime minister also accused the PTI and its head, Prime Minister Imran Khan, of double standards over the amnesty scheme.

Speaking at a press conference, Khaqan Abbasi stated that, “We hope Prime Minister Imran Khan doesn’t take a U-turn on the amnesty scheme.”

“When we introduced the scheme [in April last year], it was labelled as a criminal rehabilitation scheme. But now that Imran has introduced it, it suddenly is acceptable,” he remarked.

“Our amnesty scheme was a reforms package,” said Abbasi of the scheme which was offered during his time as prime minister. “Amnesty schemes cannot be launched every year.”

During the press conference several PML-N leaders including Ahsan Iqbal, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Ataullah Tarar accompanied Abbasi.

“A new chapter of political vendetta has started in the country. After the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has also stepped into the field of political revenge,” Abbasi said, accusing the government of using federal institutions to do its bidding.

“The National Highway Authority (NHA) has never complained against Ameer Muqaam’s son or his company. An allegation of Rs30 million was leveled while the company owned by Ameer Muqam’s son has Rs350 million in bank guarantees,” he said, adding that the joint secretary of the information ministry had written a letter upon orders of the higher authorities. “What shall we call it if it is not political vendetta?” said Abbasi.

He said such instances were proof of the government’s failure. “Today, the governmental institutions are being used for political revenge. The government and its institutions are blind to the places where corruption is rampant,” he said, while asking authorities to focus their attention on the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) project in Peshawar instead.