PM aide rejects Ahsan’s remarks about changes to money laundering law

Special Assistant to PM on Accountability Shahzad Akbar said on Sunday that PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal was once again trying to mislead the nation on amendments to the money laundering act. 

Barrister Shahzad Akbar said in a tweet the anti-money laundering bill did not propose detention of the suspects even for a single day, but Ahsan Iqbal was saying this bill would allow the government to detain businessmen and other suspects for 180 days. He said he would challenge the opposition to an article-wise debate on the bill in the National Assembly. He said this is how the entire nation would know the truth. He said the main agenda of the opposition was to get rid of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and get away with the money they have laundered.

احسن اقبال نے ایک بار پھر قوم کو گمراہ کرنے کی کوشش کی، منی لانڈرنگ بل میں کسی کو ۱۷۰ دن تو کیا ۱ دن قید کی شق نہیں میرا چیلنج ہے اسمبلی میں شق وار مذاکرہ کر لیں پوری قوم جان لے گی سچ کیا ہے @PTIofficial اصل ایشو نیب اور آپکی ذاتی منی لانڈرنگ ہے https://t.co/O8K3MhGJmQ pic.twitter.com/TtxXluQoJs

— Mirza Shahzad Akbar (@ShazadAkbar) August 23, 2020

Shahzad said the government was just going to elaborate various definitions in the money laundering act in line with requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). 

Earlier, the PML-N had posted to Twitter the video of a press conference by party’s senior leader Ahsan Iqbal wherein he had said the government was going to make changes to the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010 and these changes would allow the authorities to detain businessmen and other people suspected of money laundering for 180 days. 

آپ فیٹیف کی آڑ منی لانڈرنگ کا ایک ایسا قانون بنا رہے تھے جس کے تحت کسی بھی پاکستانی کو بغیر ضمانت کے 180 دن کیلیے گرفتار کیا جاسکتا ہے.یہ کالا قانون فیٹیف کی ضرورت نہیں ہے.@betterpakistan pic.twitter.com/z1HGLwsRs2

— PML(N) (@pmln_org) August 22, 2020