ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the government is ready to cooperate with the opposition for the sake of the country and democracy but emphatically stated that no compromise will be made on corruption.

Speaking at the joint Sitting of the Parliament today (Wednesday), he said FATF-related legislation passed by the House today was very important for the country’s future and to steer it out of the grey list.

Thanking his party members and allies for getting passed FATF-related bills, he said their conduct has proved that they stand by Pakistan. He was of the view that failing to pass these laws could push Pakistan to blacklist which could have serious economic consequences for the country.

The Prime Minister regretted the posture of Opposition parties, saying they created hurdles in the way of this legislation. He said the Opposition tried to blackmail the government to protect their vested interests and the looted money of their top leaders. For this purpose, they proposed thirty-four Amendments in NAB law. He questioned how a country could progress when billions of dollars were laundered abroad. This only puts pressure on our foreign exchange reserves. He said had the top opposition leaders not involved in money laundering then why were they opposing the anti-money laundering bill.

Talking about the recent incident of rape on Motorway, the Prime Minister said that a comprehensive legislation will be enacted to award exemplary punishment to the sex offenders. He said that this piece of legislation will also provide protection to the women and the children. He said it will also ensure protection of the witnesses to convict the persons involved in such ghastly acts.

The Prime Minister said that the rape incident on Motorway shook the entire nation. He said one accused person has been arrested while the other will also be arrested soon. He stressed the need for registration of the sex offenders as is the case in the rest of the world.