ISLAMABAD: The National Asse­m­bly on Monday extended the Tax Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, VI 2021, which was set to expire on June 11.

The house adopted a resolution to ex­­tend the ordinance for a further period of 120 days under proviso to sub-paragraph (i) of paragraph (a) of clause (2) of Article 89 of the Constitution.

The ordinance, according to its aims and objectives, seeks to augment efforts towards economic stability and ensure expeditious implementation of tax policies envisaging innovation and documentation of the economy, promotion of foreign investment in the local debt market, removal of anomalies and mitigation of the genuine hardships of taxpayers. It aims to connect non-resident Pakistanis to banking channels in Pakistan digitally and to allow them to invest in financial instruments, government’s securities, stock exchange and real estate.

Govt says civil, military leadership on one page on Kashmir, Palestine

PML-N lawmaker Ahsan Iqbal, who opposed the extension, pointed out that Article 73 stated that a money bill shall originate from the National Assembly. According to him, the NA speaker stated that he would seek legal opinion on the issue.

Mr Iqbal said the government was making substantial changes in Income Tax Act 2001, Sales Tax Act 1990, Customs Act 1969 and Federal Excise Tax 2009 through ordinances and many facilities were being withdrawn. As per estimates, he added, the government was imposing Rs700 billion taxes through these ordinances.

He said the powers given to the president to promulgate ordinances under Article 89 applied only when parliament was not in session or there was any emergency in the country. Citing an example, he said an ordinance was promulgated between two sessions of the house when there was no emergency during the month of February this year.

The PML-N leader said the present government had allowed air access to the United States for Afghanistan and demanded that conditions reached with the US be placed before the house.

Parliamentary Secretary on Foreign Affairs Andleeb Abbas told the assembly that civil and military leaderships were on one page on the issues of Kashmir and Palestine.

She was responding to a call attention notice by the PML-N parliamentarians asking what action Pakistan had taken to stop Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir.

PML-N Khurram Dastgir said there were reports that the country’s military leadership told some journalists that they were going to start talks with India by December. He said the media persons were also told that the national security adviser and the ISI chief would represent the country.

On the other hand, he added, Prime Minister Imran Khan was saying there would be no talks with India until it took back its August 5, 2019, action of annexation of held Kashmir. “Why is there contradiction on the Kashmir policy?” he asked.

Andleeb Abbas said the government, military leadership, the foreign minister and cabinet were on one page when it came to the national interest whether it was Kashmir or Palestine. She said Prime Minister Khan had already maintained that there could be no talks with India till the neighbouring country withdrew annexation of occupied Kashmir.

“That is what the military feels and that is what every Pakistani feels,” she added. She said the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had discussed the Kashmir and Palestine issues. She informed the house that the Kashmir policy followed by Prime Minister Khan and his government totally changed narrative of the international community on the issue. “Now the world considers India as a terrorist and Pakistan as a peace-loving country and a facilitator for talks,” she added.

Ahsan Iqbal asked as to why the government could not implement a resolution of the house passed one-and-a-half years ago that called for holding a special session of the OIC on Kashmir.

The National Assembly also passed the PAF Air War College Institute Bill 2021, which provides for re-organisation of it as a degree-awarding institute, and the Pakistan Arms (Amendment) Bill 2020 to amend the Pakistan Arms (Amendment) Bill 1965 to the extent of the Islamabad Capital Territory.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2021