Govt offers talks after PTI demands access to its leader
• Rana Sanaullah says party still not ready to come to the table
• Alarm raised over alleged breach of privacy by FBR
ISLAMABAD: After a fiery speech in the Senate by a PTI-backed lawmaker, deploring the absence of rule of law and an unannounced ban on meetings with incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan, the ruling party once again held out an olive branch to the PTI, reassuring it that all issues could be resolved through dialogue.
Speaking in the upper house of parliament on Friday, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah said the PTI had always rejected the path of negotiations, even though all issues could be resolved through dialogue rather than deadlock.
He said the government was ready to hold a dialogue with the opposition to take the country forward, but the PTI leadership remained unwilling.
The remarks came after PTI Senator Mashal Yousafzai chided two ministers over the claim that VVIP facilities were available to Imran Khan in jail. She demanded that a committee of the House along with local and foreign media visit Adiala jail to see the facilities for themselves.
Without naming the military establishment, the adviser to the premier said, “Those who they want [to have] dialogue [with] are not ready for talks with them.”
According to prison rules, the PML-N leader said, jail meetings meant to incite violence could not be allowed.
“The law and jail rules do not permit a convict or under-trial prisoner to create law and order situation in the country while sitting behind bars.”
Referring to repeated offers made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for talks with the opposition and his desire for a charter of Pakistan’s stability, the PML-N leader said both sides should sit together, confront each other’s viewpoint and reach a consensus. “We are ready to discuss all issues to find out a solution. You can start talks from wherever you want,” he remarked.
Earlier, Senator Yousafzai alleged that her party supremo and his spouse were illegally put behind bars and being subjected to inhumane treatment.
She rejected the government claim that VVIP facilities were provided to Mr Khan in Adiala jail. She asked the chair to form a house committee, headed by Rana Sanaullah, so that they visit the jail along with media persons to witness what kind of facilities were being available to the incarcerated leader.
“Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were being denied meetings with their family members,” she said while deploring the public announcement by a minister about “banning all meetings” with him. She wondered how such a decision could be taken about the country’s most popular leader whereas jail meetings with an Indian spy were facilitated. She said the Constitution, law and human rights had become a joke. Referring to the allegations levelled against her by PML-N member Khalil Tahir Sandhu in a talk show, the senator maintained that there was no practice of selling party tickets to contest elections in PTI.
FBR messages
A highlight of the day’s proceedings was an alarm raised by Senator Asad Qasim over the issue of text messages being sent to filers by the FBR containing bank balance and transacted amounts that he noted was a clear breach of the financial privacy and data protection.
Speaking on a calling attention notice, the PTI senator said the SMS were a breach of Section 216 of the Income Tax Ordinance, which prohibits sharing or exposing taxpayer’s data besides violation of the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution. In response, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry confirmed that the FBR had sent messages to filers seeking them to match their bank accounts with their income tax returns. He, however, said messages had been sent to the particular individuals on “detection of discrepancies”. He insisted that the move was not a breach of trust and privacy, and in line with Sections 165-A and 175-A of the ordinance.
However, Mr Qasim insisted that the FBR could only collect data but not broadcast it without taxpayer’s consent. He said due process involving issuance of notice must be followed.
PPP Senator Shahadat Awan, who was chairing the session, said a similar matter was pending before Senate’s standing committee on interior and proposed that the matter be referred to the panel. He noted that Senator Qasim could also raise his point there to which Mr Chaudhry agreed.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar also defended the FBR’s powers under tax regulation framework. He said the mechanism to track suspicious transactions under anti-money laundering was similar to this. He initially expressed reservations over the practice of referring every matter to the committees and insisted there was no need to send the matter for further probe, but later agreed that it be referred to the finance committee, headed by Saleem Mandviwala, which the chair did.
The Senate also passed the “The National Agri-trade and Food Safety Authority Bill, 2025”. The bill, moved by the law minister, is aimed at establishing the National Agri-trade and Food Safety Authority.
Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2025
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