Sunday, 24 April, 2022 I 22 Ramzan, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 296 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition
Imran Khan urges apex Court to hold publIC probe Into ‘latter-gate ConspIraCy’
ISLAMABAD
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Staff report
USTEd Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday urged the Apex Court to hold a public probe into the ‘Lattergate conspiracy ’ saying that his party would not accept an in-camera hearing of the judicial investigation. Addressing his maiden press conference after being ousted as prime minister, Imran Khan accused the PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif for hatching a conspiracy to dislodge PTI government through vote of no-confidence. “Supreme Court should hold open hearing on threat letter… we will not accept any in-camera hearing,” he remarked. The PTI chief also claimed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and
PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari colluded with “foreign conspirators” to remove him from power. “No prime minister would be able to hold out against foreign conspiracies in future if no investigation was carried out [into alleged threat letter],” he said while urging the state institutions to take a stand against alleged foreign plot to protect country’s sovereignty. Commenting on the diplomatic cipher, Imran said the language used by the US diplomat against his government was ‘unprecedented’ and ‘threatening’. He also lashed out at the opponents for terming the telegram as a routine matter, calling them “shameless”. “I came to know in January that a foreign conspiracy was being hatched against my government,” said the former PM.
Speaking about the party dissidents, Imran urged the apex court to hold day-day to hearing on his petition seeking disqualification of rebel lawmakers. “If our institutions do not take a stand against this [horse-trading]… then our country’s future is in danger.” He also accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of being partial in foreign funding case, demanding its chief to step down immediately. Imran Khan said he has directed the party leaders and workers to begin preparations for a long march on Islamabad to achieve “true freedom”. “A sea of people will converge on Islamabad… people have woken to reality as to how corrupt rulers were imposed on them.” He also criticised the government’s decision of striking down names from no-fly list, saying the decision was taken to provide “safe exit” to corrupt individuals. “Put my name on exit control list (ECL) I don’t want to go anywhere.” Imran said yesterday ’s highpowered National Security Committee (NSC) huddle “vindicated” his claim of foreign conspiracy and also “validated” minutes of the body ’s meeting held last month when he was the prime minister. On Friday, the NSC meeting chaired by PM Shehbaz concluded that no evidence of “foreign conspiracy ” to topple Imran Khan’s government has been found, but at the same time it endorsed the decisions taken in its previous meeting. “NSC confirmed that the [diplomatic] cable was original and the conversation between Pakistan and US officials was real,” said Imran Khan.
Ismail tells IMF Pakistan willing to curb fuel subsidies ISLAMABAD Staff report
The finance minister on Friday agreed with International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommendations to reduce fuel subsidies and end a business tax amnesty scheme, pledging to pursue structural reforms to boost a crisis-wracked economy. The Fund in 2019 approved a $6 billion loan over three years for Pakistan but disbursement has been slowed by concerns about the pace of reforms. Miftah Ismail, who took office this month after a previous government lost a no-confidence vote, said he had “good discussions” with the IMF on a visit during the Washington-based lender’s annual spring meetings. “They’ve talked about removing the subsidy on fuel. I agree with them,” Ismail, himself a former IMF economist, said at the Atlantic Council. “We can’t afford to do the subsidies that we’re doing. So we’re going to have to curtail this,” he said. He claimed that former prime minister Imran Khan, seeking to avoid ouster, set a “trap” for his successors through heavy subsidies on fuel and electricity, as well as a tax amnesty scheme for businesses — measures that derailed a disbursement from the IMF loan.
Shehbaz, Putin quietly exchange letters, vow cementing cooperation report ISLAMABAD monitoring report
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have quietly exchanged letters, expressing desire to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, Express Tribune reported. The letters were exchanged after the election of Shehbaz as prime minister but both the sides kept development away from the media glare in what seemed to be a move aimed at avoiding any public attention. A senior foreign office official confirmed to The Express Tribune that President Putin wrote a letter to the prime minister, congratulating him on his election. The official, who requested not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Putin expressed the desire to deepen cooperation between the two countries. PM Shehbaz wrote back to Putin thanking him for his felicitation message and expressed similar sentiments on bilateral ties between the two countries as well as cooperation on Afghanistan. The exchange of letters happened as the former prime minister Imran Khan is adamant he was ousted from power through an alleged US-backed vote of no-confidence since Americans did not like
his Russian policy. But the felicitation message by President Putin suggested that the process of building a relationship between Pakistan and Russia would continue under the new political dispensation. Foreign office officials said resetting ties with Russia was a decision taken by the state a long time back keeping in view the changing regional and international alignments. That process, officials said, would continue but without much fanfare for some time given the RussiaUkraine crisis. The Russian Embassy in Islam-
abad, using its Twitter handle, congratulated Shehbaz on April 12 and expressed the hope that ties between the two countries would grow under his government. Unlike Imran Khan’s government, the new government will push for resetting ties with the West, particularly with the United States. Sources said that Pakistan’s relationship with the West and the US was damaged because of the former prime minister’s rhetorical statements. The new premier would avoid such an approach rather work quietly to advance the country’s foreign policy interests. The focus would also be on
reaching out to the European Union, a major trading partner of Pakistan. On Friday, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen congratulated PM Shehbaz on assuming the office of the prime minister and underlined the commission’s desire to further strengthen its bilateral relationship with Pakistan. The prime minister expressed his thanks for the felicitations and stated that Pakistan greatly valued its relations with the European Union, which were based on shared values and common objectives of peace, prosperity and development. He highlighted the importance of closer trade and investment ties between Pakistan and the EU. He appreciated the GSP Plus arrangement and underlined that, being a mutually beneficial scheme, it had played an important role in the expansion of Pakistan-EU trade. The premier lauded Ursula von der Leyen’s stewardship of the EU Commission and underscored his resolve to further deepen mutual engagement. PM Shehbaz also extended a cordial invitation to the European Commission President. The two leaders agreed to stay in contact and work together to expand Pakistan-EU relations, intensify investment and trade cooperation, and enhance mutual cooperation between the two sides in diverse fields.
“He gave an amnesty to businesses for setting up factories so that they don’t have to pay taxes, or even if they evaded taxes that’s ok,” Ismail told reporters at an event organised by Pakistan’s embassy. But Ismail added that some targeted subsidies should remain for Pakistan’s poorest amid sky-high global prices. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to jumpstart a moribund economy, certain to be a major issue in elections due next year. Pakistan has repeatedly sought international support and suffers from a chronically weak tax base. Ismail said that Pakistan, the world’s fifth most-populous nation, needed to move to a new economic model by removing obstacles and promoting exports to the world. “We have such an elite-benefitting country that almost every subsidy that you can speak of actually goes to the richest people,” he said. Ismail said his immediate goal was reining in double-digit inflation — a target complicated by lifting fuel subsidies — and kickstarting job creation. He denied Pakistan was in danger of defaulting on its debts, with foreign reserves currently standing at $10 billion, and much of its bilateral debt held with friendly countries China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
more inside
‘Imported’ government taking credit for PTI projects: Umar STORY ON PAGE 02
President rejects appeal of NAB official guilty of ‘disclosing secrets’ STORY ON PAGE 03
Bilawal to take oath as FM soon: Kaira STORY ON BACK PAGE
Govt committed to attract US investment to Pakistan: Miftah STORY ON BACK PAGE