Opposition and FATF laws

The government is working against a ticking clock to pass FATF-related legislation before the progress is reviewed. These efforts to avoid a blacklist and triggering sanctions suffered a setback as two bills were blocked in the opposition-dominated Senate, leading the prime minister to express his frustration.

The prime minister once again said he will not provide any NRO to the opposition and attempts to blackmail the government will inevitably fail. He lashed at his rivals for sabotaging national interests just to protect their corruption. A critical bill defeated in parliament related to anti-money laundering which gives more powers to investigating agencies and recommends tougher sentences and fines.

The opposition had proposed several amendments in the legislation swiftly rejected by the government. This included curtailing the powers of NAB from investigating cases older than five years, removing money-laundering as a cognizable offence, and removing corruption allegations worth one billion rupees from NAB’s scope. All this shows that the opposition was attempting to protect itself by linking FATF with NAB laws.

NAB has been used in the past to launch politically motivated cases and opposition parties were also given concessions but this does not imply that the anti-graft watchdog should be wrapped up. The opposition wants the accountability drive to start from 1999 and wants to evade the process by suggesting that NAB should be removed from the list of investigating agencies.

Some of the proposed legislation is controversial such as those related to streamlining Waqf properties and placing all mosques and shrines under the direct control of the government. These donations and contributions are often misused and concerns are raised over being used for terror financing. It is imperative that these laws are discussed in parliament and not in committees before they are passed.

The prime minister’s concerns that national interests are being harmed over political wrangling are genuine. It has also affected the PTI’s own narrative against accountability which brought Imran Khan to power. The failure to implement the FATF action plan will now be pinned on the opposition. It is necessary that narrow personal and political interests are shunned over larger national interests to expedite the development process in the country.