ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday said that the recent taxes imposed by government will not affect the common populace as they were levied only on ‘luxury and non-essential’ items.

Speaking in National Assembly, Dar claimed that 5 to 10 per cent duty has been imposed on 61 luxury items while regulatory duty on 289 items was increased by 5 per cent.

“The recent measures are all legal and are an attempt to overcome a shortfall of Rs40 billion in the country’s revenue,” the minister told the legislators.

About the recent changes in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the finance minister said that the objective behind turning the national carrier into a corporate entity is to let it operate autonomously and turn it into a profitable institution.

He clarified that the government does not intend to privatise the organisation.

Pak-Afghan economic commission meeting mutually beneficial

Later in the day, in a meeting with US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) Richard Olson, Ishaq Dar termed the recently held Pak-Afghan Joint Economic Commission meeting "satisfying and mutually beneficial".

Elucidating the outcomes of the meeting on Monday, the minister said that both countries had made major achievements in the realm of trade facilitation.

He apprised Richard Olson about the initiation of multiple visa grants to Pakistani businessmen by Afghan authorities. The decision, he said, would help augment Pak-Afghan trade.

During the meeting, they discussed matters regarding the Heart of Asia Conference being convened in the capital on Tuesday, said a press statement.

The two-day meeting of the regional initiative is being held on Dec 8-9 in Islamabad and will be attended by foreign ministers or senior representatives from Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Rus­sia, Saudi Arabia,Tajikistan, Tur­key, Turkmenistan and UAE.

Also read: PM chairs meeting on Heart of Asia conference

Olson expressed hope that the conference would play a significant role in furthering Pak-Afghan relations in all important spheres.

He particularly emphasised the areas of trade and economic cooperation which he said would receive due focus at the conference.

He also appreciated the progress that Pakistan and Afghanistan have made with regard to the Casa-1000 project.

Also read: Pakistan wants early implementation of CASA-1000, Tajik president told

The project, initiated by Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, will enable Pakistan to import 1,000MW of electricity to meet its growing energy needs.

Furthermore, Dar welcomed convening of the Pak-US Working Group meeting on energy, saying that Pak-US cooperation in the field of energy is "an important facet of their bilateral partnership". The meeting is scheduled to be held early next year.

US Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale and senior officials of the US Embassy and Ministry of Finance attended the meeting.

Related: Richard Olson will be new US special envoy for Pak-Afghan region