The opposition in the Senate on Friday staged a walkout to lodge a protest against the government for not submitting a reply on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and not working on this project as per the promises of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
During the Question-Answer session presided over by Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Senator Farhatullah Babar raised the issue and recorded his protest. Senator Shahi Syed said it was regrettable that the government had not submitted its reply on this issue. Later, they staged a walkout in protest, saying that they did not want to become a part of this controversy.
Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, on the advice of Haideri, successfully convinced the opposition members to come back to the House and the session restarted. Meanwhile, the House unanimously passed the Anti-Money Laundering (Amendment) Bill 2015, which will help the government to ensure that proceeds of crimes and property involved in money laundering are detected, probed and prosecuted effectively.
Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar tabled the 28-clause bill for consideration and adoption that faced no opposition and was passed straight away. It has already been cleared by the House standing committee concerned.
The proposed amendments would reflect the government’s resolve to strengthen its Anti-Money Laundering regime. “These amendments are aimed at streamlining the existing act in line with the international standards prescribed by the Financial Action Task Force and to bring consistency and clarity in the enforcement provisions,” it said.
