Won't let Pakistan turn into 'fascist state' under garb of FATF: Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD: PML-N senior leader Ahsan Iqbal said on Tuesday that the party will not let Pakistan turn into a "fascist state" under the garb of carrying out legislation to meet the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) requirements.

The PML-N leader’s statement came in response to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement that the opposition on purpose did not let two FATF-related bills get through the Senate.

The PML-N leader was addressing media outside the accountability court where he appeared in relation to the Narowal Sports City reference.

“We will not let Imran Khan become Pakistan’s Hitler in the name of FATF,” lashed out the former interior minister.

He explained that the opposition leaders did not defeat the FATF bills in the Senate. “We defeated the system that the government wanted to bulldoze”.

The former interior minister said that the government has only one agenda, which is to carry out the character-assassination of its political opponents.

Iqbal said that no politician is asking PM Imran for NRO-like concessions, adding that the prime minister gave an NRO to the sugar mafia instead.

He said that former PTI general secretary Jahangir Tareen — who was mentioned in the damning sugar inquiry commission's report — had been allowed to "flee in the dark" hence it was the government that was giving NROs and not the other way around. 

Opposition leaders and country's interests on divergent paths: PM Imran

Earlier today, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the interests of the opposition parties and the country were on opposite paths after the former shot down two 'critical' bills in Senate related to the FATF.

The bills were a part of the FATF obligations that are to be fulfilled by Pakistan in order to exit the “grey list” it is currently on.

‘NAB needs time to weave lies’

PML-N leader Iqbal spoke about his appearance before the court and NAB proceedings.

“It has been a year, NAB could not file a reference against me,” he said, accusing the anti-graft body of resorting to political victimisation.

He said that despite spending time behind bars and getting bail, this was his seventh appearance before the court.

“NAB needs time to construct lies,” he said, adding that the accountability watchdog keeps asking for new dates in court.