Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Ansar Javed is strongly opposed to the introduction of amnesty schemes for whitening black money. While reviewing the Finance Bill (2013-14), he informed the Senate Standing Committee on Finance Tuesday that the FBR has floated a variety of amnesty schemes in the past, but we were unable to achieve the desired results.

The Inter-national Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistani economic team will commence Post Programme Monitoring (PPM) discussions from today (Wednesday). Sources said the IMF team arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday for PPM discussions and Pakistan may request the Fund for a new programme as touched upon by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar during the traditional post budget media briefing when he stated that there is no harm in taking a new loan to repay a past loan.

Twenty-seven persons including a member of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Assembly were killed and 40 others injured in a suicide bomb attack at a funeral at Shergarh, district Mardan on Tuesday. People including MPA Imran Khan Mohmand were offering funeral prayers of Haji Abdullah, the owner of a petrol pump who was killed by some unknown motorcyclists, a suicide bomber blew himself up resulting in the killing of member Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Assembly, Imran Khan Mohmand and others.