ISLAMABAD - Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on accountability, Shahzad Akbar has said Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed the foreign ministry to send a high-powered delegation to Switzerland to expedite ratification of a treaty on exchange of information on bank accounts.
“Unfortunately the treaty has been dumped in files since 2012 intentionally by the previous rulers, instead of being ratified.
Now the prime minister has issued directives to immediately ratify the treaty so that the government can get information regarding transfer of corruption money into Swiss banks by the Swiss authorities,” he added.
Responding to a question about the total amount of money laundered abroad, the special assistant said it would be difficult to say what it was but the main thing was that the government was committed to retrieving it.
Mr Akbar said the prime minister was so concerned about the recovery of looted money that he would himself monitor the progress of the task force and other relevant departments in this regard.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the prime minister wanted uniform curriculum not only in private and public sector schools but also in seminaries.
“Different modes of education in different types of schools is the source of disparity in our education system and divides our children in different categories,” he said.
The minister said introducing uniform curriculum in the whole country was not an easy task but the federal government was committed to doing that with the cooperation of the provincial governments.
“We know that education, health, sanitation and provision of potable water are provincial subjects but they will be driven from the Centre,” he added.
Education became a provincial subject after the 18th Amendment and the decision of uniform curriculum is expected to spark a controversy in the country over the ‘centre’s interference’ into provincial affairs.