GILGIT: Regional leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have criticised Federal Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastagir for visiting Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) on the invitation of members of the G-B Chamber of Commerce & Industry (G-BCCI).
“By accepting the invitation from an organisation that is blacklisted, the minister has given protection to those who have defaulted on billions of rupees in loans from the National Bank [of Pakistan],” stated a press release issued by PML-N leaders Abid Baig and others.
The statement referred to the chamber’s president, Javed Hussain, on whose invitation Dastagir arrived in G-B for a two-day visit.
“The minister should have first collected information about the men who invited him. These people are trying to legalise their corruption and black money by deceiving the minister,” alleged Baig, who earlier called a party meeting to discuss Dastagir’s visit.
The PML-N, to which Dastagir also belongs, eventually ended up boycotting the visit and the regional leaders avoided meeting him. Dastagir returned to Islamabad on Wednesday.
During his visit, he met local traders and explored avenues to boost trade with China. Speaking to traders and members of the G-B CCI, Dastagir promised to take up the issue of declaring G-B a tax-free zone before the start of the new fiscal year.
On Tuesday, PML-N’s regional president Hafeezur Rahman met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad to discuss matters relating to the upcoming elections in G-B, due next year.http://tribune.com.pk/story/793839/voicing-resentment-pml-n-leaders-in-g-b-irked-by-federal-ministers-visit/
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