ISLAMABAD: Senator Faisal Javed Khan of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday said that the government was not afraid of long march by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) as it was nothing but a pressure tactic through which the opposition wanted to get an NRO.

Talking to journalists outside the Parliament House, he said that the government was ready for talks with the opposition on all issues pertaining to public interest except the corruption cases.

“The government is ready to hold talks with the opposition on public issues such as electoral reforms and the Covid-19, but not on the corruption cases against the opposition leaders,” he added.

He reiterated that Prime Minister Imran Khan would not give NRO to the opposition leaders facing corruption cases at any cost.

Presenting before the media, draft of the opposition for amendments in the NAB Ordinance, he said that the opposition had proposed amendments in 34 out of the 38 provisions of the NAB Ordinance.

The opposition wanted that all the corruption cases against opposition leaders prominently, Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Zardari, Yousuf Raza Gillani, etc before 1999 should be closed, and corruption below Rs1 billion should not be taken up by the NAB.

The PTI senator said that the opposition also wanted to change the definition of Benami and that the international evidence should not be presented before the NAB.

Senator Khan said that the opposition’s public meetings were nothing but a flopped show, and therefore, they were also showing reluctance to give resignations from the assemblies.

Meanwhile, the PTI has issued ticket to Ali Asjad Malhi to contest by-election from NA-75 (Daska).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020