The federal government Wednesday decided to conduct a forensic audit of former finance minister and PTI leader Shaukat Tarin’s leaked conversation with the finance ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab over Pakistan’s deal with the IMF. Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Law Minister Senator Azam Nazir Tarar said all the members took an oath while going to the parliament that they will protect the country’s interest. “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Finance Minister Taimur Jhagra by writing a letter to the IMF may have violated his oath,” he added. The law minister said Tarin was not expected to put politics before the state. “This act falls under the category of rebellion against the state.” While the PTI grew defended its stance and tamped it down as a genuine issue, the government ministers accused the PTI of putting the country’s interests in peril and sought to bring the “conspiracy” before the National Security Committee (NSC). PTI leaders responding to Tarin’s telephonic conversation declared it correct, while the former finance minister said that he did not betray the country. Jhagra, while addressing a press conference alongside Asad Umar, had also acknowledged the authenticity of a letter penned to the IMF three days earlier by the K-P government whereby the international money lender was informed that the province would not be able to meet the agreed-upon budget surplus. Pinning the province’s inability to meet the surplus target on the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) merger with K-P province and related administrative concerns, the minister said, “I own the letter” and “I wrote it myself” and requested the federal government to resolve the budgetary issue.
Defending the leaked conversation, Umar said that there was “nothing wrong” with Tarin “advising” the ministers as he “understands the country’s economy” and that the request was in fact “needed” considering the current natural disaster the country faces.
IMF however a day later revived Pakistan’s bailout programme after a hiatus of six months, approving the $1.1 billion tranche and ending uncertainty that multiplied in past three days due to maneuvering by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
A day ago, an application was filed with Islamabad police to register a treason case against PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Tarin and incumbent finance ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mohsin Khan Leghari and Taimur Khan Jhagra. The application was submitted by the founder and chairman of Aman Taraqi Party, Mohammad Faiq Shah, with the Kohsar police station.
The complainant had requested the police to take legal action against all four suspects. Meanwhile, Senator Shaukat Tarin Wednesday rejected the allegations of treason against him, saying whatever he said was for the national interest. Taking to media in the Parliament House, Tarin said since he had not committed any treason, it was unfair to call him a ‘traitor’. He said whatever he said was for sake of 220 million people of the country. Tarin said if he had committed treason then what about the PDM who in the past talked about tearing copies of the International Monetary Funds (IMF) documents.
