LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) plans to take up the issues of bringing back black money stashed abroad, undeclared foreign income and assets, anti-money laundering and tax reforms by introducing new legislation in the coming National Assembly sessions.

The revenue wing of the PTI National Policy Council has started working to collect evidence from the world over and preparing a draft bill to be moved in the National Assembly.

The PTI has made a 14-member council headed by Asad Umar in 12 sectors – agriculture, trade, textile, industry, foreign policy and internal security, petroleum and natural resource, revenue, economy, labour, environment, water and power, and local government. Sectors’ heads in the council have been asked to build their teams in a month and guide party leadership and parliamentarians on those subjects.

PTI Policy Council’s Revenue head Omer Zaheer Mir is building his team. He says corruption and money laundering remained the most discussed issues but neither any government nor opposition had done worthwhile work to curb these menaces from society. He says India has already signed an agreement (Mutual Assistance Agreement) with Switzerland but Pakistan has yet to sign the accord that would end banking secrecy and tax evasion.

Mr Mir says the idea of drafting bill aims at catching tax evaders and those stashing their undeclared income in foreign banks.

Mr Mir also says the council will also update party leaders and parliamentarians on respective domains and prepare them to speak along the party line. “This capacity building will help PTI do a constructive opposition in the provincial and national assemblies,” he says.

HUMAN RIGHTS: PTI central organiser Jahangir Tareen on Saturday appointed Riaz Fatyana, former chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights, as PTI Human Rights Commission (HRC) chairman.

Usman Khawaja was appointed secretary to the commission. The commission members will be appointed with the consultation of the chairman and the party central organizer.

The commission will keep abreast the party about the state of human rights in Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN Covenant of Civil and Political Rights as mentioned in the Constitution of Pakistan.

The HRC will examine state of affairs of human rights in Pakistan including victimisation of political, civil society workers and citizens from state’s law enforcement agencies. The commission will also establish close liaison with local and international forums of human rights.

The commission will monitor government’s policies and working of state’s functionaries related to guarantees of the constitution and present prevailing laws to ensure human rights especially women, children, minorities, old age people, youth and all other stakeholders.

The HRC will be required to submit reports on human rights situation to the party chairman from time to time. The Commission would establish units at district and tehsils level gradually to create awareness and to safeguard workers and public at large. The Commission will also establish its units in other countries to involve overseas Pakistanis.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2015

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