The committees of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have failed to make any tangible progress on economic reforms agenda at the final round of talks here on Tuesday two days before the expiry of the 45-days deadline for implementation of the agenda.
Sources said that PML-N side led by Senator Ishaq Dar wanted the replacement of Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which the government said might not be possible because of some legal hitches. The PML-N team was of the view that this was their stated position on the issue of NAB chairman and the government side should inform their leadership. The government requested the PML-N to support revenue generation measures to contain fiscal deficit at 5.5 per for the current fiscal year otherwise it would go over 8 per cent.
Sources said that the committee of the government headed by Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh informed PML-N that recovery of Rs 44 billion was being made from tax evaders through audit to increase revenue collection for the current fiscal year.
He said that mechanism was being put in place to minimise the tax evasion. The government side said that provincial governments would be required to give at least Rs 100 billion to Rs 120 billion budget surplus for the current fiscal year from Rs 300 billion federal transfers under the NFC award budget to achieve 5.5 percent fiscal deficit for the current fiscal year.
The government assured the PML-N for notification of names for the members of the parliamentary committee for appointment of Independent Chief Election Commissioner. Law Minister Babar Awan said that the accountability law has almost finalised and would soon be introduced in the Parliament for approval and requested the PML-N to identify the areas for improvement. About invoking magistracy system to check the prices of essential commodities, the meeting was informed that some legal issues were required to be addressed before restoration of magistracy system and a meeting of provincial law secretaries and home secretaries would have to be held to finalise the draft.
The government also reported to have said that a plan for the appointment of Chief Executive Officers (CEO's) in all loss making State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) on transparent basis was being finalised and would soon be implemented.
The government wanted the PML-N to continue the process of talks on economic reforms as 40 to 50 percent implementation has been achieved in 45 days that could be further maximised by taking this process ahead.
Talking to media after the meeting, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Senator Ishaq Dar of Pakistan Muslim League said that both the sides would update their leadership within two days about the so far progress on the reforms agenda.
Hafeez Shaikh said that both the sides have worked hard for finding solutions for the problems faced by the economy. The government sides have informed the PML-N about the progress so far made on the implementation of the 10-point agenda in a transparent manner. He specially mentioned that provincial expenditure management and said that now both the teams would update their political leadership and seek their guidance to move ahead.
Senator Ishaq Dar said that they have reviewed the implementation status and described achievement on 10 points as "some glasses empty and some half full". He said that PML-N has convened a meeting of the Central Executive Committee on February 25, at Islamabad and the negotiating team would inform Nawaz Sharif about the progress. Senator Ishaq Dar, Mahtab Abbasi, General Abdul Qadir Baloch (Retd) and Pervaiz Rasheed represented the PML-N side during the talks with the government.