ISLAMABAD:
With tax breaks for merged tribal districts set to expire at the end of the month, the government took steps on Friday to assure the opposition that it would seek an extension from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), while both sides also took advantage of a rare face-to-face meeting to discuss broader political dialogue and democratic compromise.
The development came after senior government and PTI leaders met in Parliament following concerns raised by the opposition in the National Assembly over the imminent expiration 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, Adviser to the Prime Minister 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 Minister of Finance has promised [the opposition] will try to extend these exemptions after talking to the IMF and, God willing, will make efforts to achieve this,” Sanaullah said.
The meeting took place in Aurangzeb’s chamber and was attended by Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Minister Amir Muqam from the government side, while PTI leaders Asad Qaiser, Junaid Akbar and party MNAs from erstwhile tribal districts represented the opposition.
Sanaullah said PTI lawmakers had raised the issue of tax exemptions before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the 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 been actively investigating the matter and the government was hopeful that the exemptions could be extended after relying on the IMF.
In addition to the tax issue, the meeting also addressed the broader political environment, with Sanaullah emphasizing that dialogue remained essential for democratic politics.
“This is the basis of democracy,” he said.
Referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s standing offer of negotiations and a “Pakistan Charter” proposal, Sanaullah urged the opposition to participate.
“That offer should be accepted. A dialogue should be held with the prime minister.
“You can discuss any topic you want. He is willing to listen and discuss any topic,” the advisor said.
Describing the opposition’s response as encouraging, Sanaullah said PTI representatives informed the government that consultations were taking place within the party and a decision would be taken soon.
He also appreciated the opposition’s support for a resolution unanimously adopted by the National Assembly earlier that day, which praised Pakistan’s leadership for its role in facilitating 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 ailment while imprisoned in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, 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.
Regarding the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sanaullah said that the “heinous conspiracy to create agitation and disrupt the freedom movement for a free life [occupied] Kashmir has been controlled.”
He expressed hope that the “slight interruption in supply [chains]”It would be resolved in a week.
The PTI’s response
After the meeting, PTI leader Asad Qaiser welcomed the prospect of a democratic compromise and said his party was prepared to support a broader political understanding.
“We are willing to have conversations at all times to achieve true democracy,” he said.
Qaiser said the PTI would be willing to sign a “Charter of Democracy” as long as it guarantees equal political rights and institutional independence.
“There shouldn’t be [political] revenge against anyone, the judiciary should be independent and the parliament should be strengthened,” he said.
He confirmed that both sides also discussed the draft federal budget and conveyed their concerns directly to the Minister of Finance.
Among those concerns, he highlighted a proposed tax on tobacco and warned that certain 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 whatever economy is left.”
In response to a question, Qaiser noted that the engagement had not been initiated by a single party.
The meeting, he said, was held at the wish of both the government and the opposition.
