ISLAMABAD - The federal cabinet on Wednesday approved the Commission of Inquiry Bill 2016, new design of five rupees coin, issuance of ten rupees coin, ordinance of tax laws amendment and upheld the prices of petroleum.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asked his ministers to counter the upcoming anti-government campaign by promoting achievements of the government, official sources said.

Chairing a cabinet meeting here, Sharif said the opposition was engaged in negative politics which was impeding progress, a cabinet member told The Nation.

Last day, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf invited the Pakistan People’s Party and other opposition parties to join its September 3 anti-government rally in Lahore.

The government believes if the PPP supported the rally along with other smaller parties, it could be a big show putting the government further under pressure.

The PPP is yet to announce joining the ‘accountability rally’ of the PTI but the two parties are inching towards a settlement to take on the government over alleged corruption.

The PTI had already declared its support to the bill presented by Aitzaz Ahsan in the parliament for investigation into the Panama leaks.

The PPP and the PTI insist the accountability process must start from the PM because his children’s name had appeared in the Panama leaks with links to offshore companies.

Names of several Pakistanis including Nawaz Sharif’s children Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Hussain Nawaz Sharif and Hasan Nawaz Sharif surfaced in one of the world’s biggest ever data leaks through an online searchable database made public by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in April 2016, following which the prime minister had formed a judicial commission to probe his family’s alleged links to offshore accounts.

The cabinet member said the PM took the opposition’s partnership seriously and asked his team to counter it by promoting achievements made by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

Federal ministers Ishaq Dar and Pervaiz Rashid were asked to remain in touch with the PPP to keep it away from agitational politics, he maintained.

Another source said the ministers were asked to attend the parliament sessions to discourage the opposition from pointing fingers at the government.

Briefing journalists after the cabinet meeting along with Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said government had decided to keep the current prices of petroleum products unchanged for the month of September – refusing Rs 4.5 per litre reduction proposed by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority.

Dar said the cabinet had decided to introduce Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Bill 2016 in the National Assembly in the coming session and the inquiry commission will be empowered in the light of the letter by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

To a question, Dar said he had tried his best to convene a meeting of Terms of Reference committee through National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq over the Panama leaks.

He said under the new system Ogra will move a summary to Ministry of Petroleum and the petroleum ministry will send it to Ministry of Finance after review. “The finance minister after reviewing its impact on the people will send the summary to the prime minister who will take the final decision,” he said.

The cabinet approved change in Rs 5 coin and introduction of Rs 10 coin. The meeting, also accorded approval to several agenda items including Prime Minister‘s Sustainable Development Goals Programme and the SAARC Agreement of Motor Vehicles and Railways for intra-regional connectivity.

The cabinet approved third protocol to sign agreement between the governments of Pakistan and China for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect of taxes on income and approval to sign the initial draft.

The revision of convention between Pakistan and Switzerland for avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and signing of initial draft, also was approved.

The cabinet approved Tax Laws Amendment Ordinance 2016 and determination of sales tax on petroleum products.

The decision was taken on medical treatment of poor/deserving citizens, suffering from fatal diseases including kidney, liver, bone-marrow transplant and cancers, said a statement issued after the meeting.

The cabinet also approved the decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee on Restructuring, in the meetings held on December 13, 2013 and July 2014, and decisions by the Cabinet Committee on Privatization in its meetings held on November 26 and December 9 and December 12, 2014.

The cabinet confirmed the decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee on Privatization in its meetings held on August 10, August 11, September 17 and October 2, 2015.

Other decisions taken include publication of tax directories, notification under Clause (22A) of Section 2 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, and extension of reduced withholding tax rate for non-filers under Section 236P of Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 up to December 31, 2016.

The cabinet approved to sign the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in tax matters by Senator Ishaq Dar in the OECD Secretariat at Paris on September 14, 2016.

The Cabinet ratified the decisions of the Economic Coordination Committee on August 29.