HYDERABAD/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Friday termed the tax amnesty scheme announced by the government a day earlier a slap on the face of the honest people.
“Why would PM seek to do this just 45 days before government term ends? And why just two weeks before budget? This is a slap on the face of honest taxpayers,” Imran said in is tweet. He said that the questionable intent of the scheme is reflected in the confusion deliberately caused by PM Abbasi verbally referring to the scheme not being applicable to ‘politically exposed persons’ while the document being circulated refers to ‘holders of public office and public servants’.
Imran claimed that if the circulating document was correct, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, former finance minister Ishaq Dar and former president Asif Ali Zardari will be off the hook by taking advantage of this scheme that has been launched to benefit tax evaders, asset concealers and money launderers.
During a press conference in Hyderabad, Imran offered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to probe the billion tree tsunami project of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government as well as his alleged misuse of the provincial government’s helicopter. He asserted that his assets were scrutinised by the Supreme Court for a year and then he was declared ‘honest and truthful’.
Talking about the recently held election for the Senate chairman, Imran Khan clarified that the PTI succeeded in its attempt to thwart a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) or Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate becoming the chairman.
About Sindh, where PPP is in power, Imran said its condition is the worst among all four provinces. The level of poverty is the highest in Sindh where PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari and his sister were subjecting people to torture, the PTI chief said. Therefore, he added, people of the province have decided to get rid of the PPP.
Imran alleged that Nawaz, Zardari and Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif were involved in money laundering. The illegal transfer of money was plunging the country deeper into loans, he stressed. The entire budget allocated for Punjab is spent by one person, Shehbaz Sharif, he said, accusing the chief minister of using the funds for development work in select areas.
Imran said that 57 per cent of the budget allocated to Punjab had been spent on Lahore only. He said Sharifs were fooling the public, adding that Nawaz Sharif points fingers at institutions while Shehbaz praises them.
Published in Daily Times, April 7th 2018.
