ISLAMABAD, May 24 (INP): Former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has claimed that the credit of defeating terrorism in the country and restoring peace in Karachi went to previous government of PML (N).

It was the PML’s government that had taken due actions for clearing the menace of terrorism from the Federally administered tribal areas, by implementing the relevant laws, empowering the security agencies and adopting the National Action Plan, he said in a telephone interview to a private tv channel from London.

He contended that the operation in FATA was launched on the directives of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. There was also his personal efforts that the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had removed Pakistan from its grey list and elevated it to white list following Islamabad’s legal and procedural actions vis-à-vis anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT).

He also mentioned the letter that he had written to international financial institutions, for taking them into confidence about the actions, taken for combating financing of terrorism.

Pakistan had taken a lot of meaningful actions. Till 2013, Pakistan was either in Grey or Black list of FATF. When the PML’s government took over it was black.

We took meaningful actions & were Greyed in 2014. Then in 2015 after more actions by MLN Govt enumerated in my letter to FATF President, we were voted white. Because of delay in implementation of certain required actions, Pak unfortunately got Greyed again in July 2018.”

He was the view that the present government has failed to defend by counter-terrorism’s case at the international front, since it leg behind in implementing the National Action Plan.

Ishaq Dar went on to add, that as a Finance Minister, “ he was a strict implementer of Fiscal Discipline and was fully supported by PM Nawaz Sharif.

We made no compromise on that. You have to give due priority to security & development. Development without security is meaningless & vice versa.”

About anti-terrorism efforts, he said a number of allegations against Pakistan have been overblown by our political rival neighbour who did a sheer propaganda against us.

Ishaq Dar has urged the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to avoid taking any action that leads to black-mailing and maligning the political leaders or other sections of the society.

NAB is a national institution, it should ensure its fair, independent and transparent working, under all circumstances, he said in an interview with a Uk-based private tv channel. He criticized the recent press conference, addressed by the Chairman NAB, stating had no justification. The chairman was not supposed to deliberate upon on political matters.

The NAB, he asserted should follow self-imposed ethical practices in its working.

To a question, about the emerging political alliance against the present government, Ishaq Dar said it was high time that the opposition parties come on one platform to stop the government for putting the economy on high-risk and adding the financial burden of the common man.

INP/J/AJ