Awaam Pakistan Party Launched, Miftah, Shahid Khaqan Promise People-Centric Politics
Islamabad(Mudassar Iqbal); [Miftah Slams Current Government: “Worse than East India Company] Miftah, who served as finance minister twice in the PML-N government, blasted the incumbent government by equating it with the East India Company and said middle class was being crushed, as he criticised the recent tax rate hike for the salaried classes, while also noting that 100 million people had been pushed below the poverty line.
Lambasting the federal government for its budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, the ex-finance czar said that those earning merely Rs50,000 per month are asked to pay tax, but no tax is demanded from the one owning thousands of acres of land.
The tax on the salaried class has been doubled in the budget […] the middle class is being crushed,” Miftah said, stressing that the budget in essence is a reflection of the ruling elite’s priorities.
The ex-minister’s comments refer to the tax-heavy Finance Bill 2024, which was assented by President Asif Ali Zardari last week, wherein the government has set out a challenging tax revenue target of Rs13 trillion for the year starting July 1, up about 40% from the current year to strengthen the case for a new rescue deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The rise in the tax target is made up of a 48% increase in direct taxes and a 35% hike in indirect taxes over revised estimates of the current year. Non-tax revenue, including petroleum levies, is seen increasing by a whopping 64%.
Referring to the recently announced anti-terrorism drive “Operation Azm-e-Istehkam,” the politician said: “Today we are going to conduct another operation ,why these operations are needed again and again because you cannot end poverty.”
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Criticizes Shahbaz Sharif’s Talks Offer as Political Point Scoring
His remarks come as the federal cabinet last week approved the launch of the counter-terrorism operation following the National Action Plan’s Central Apex Committee’s recommendations to root out militance from the country.
Former PML-N leaders Miftah Ismail and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi launched on Saturday a new party named Awaam Pakistan, saying that it was unlike traditional political parties.
Ending months of speculation about the formation of a new political party, former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Miftah Ismail launched ‘Awam Pakistan,’ with a pledge to change the governance system of the country and deny political space to the “tainted” politicians.
“Politicians with tainted reputations won’t be a part of Awaam Pakistan,” said Khaqan, who served as prime minister during the PML-N’s 2013-18 stint in power, at the press conference in Islamabad flanked by Miftah and ex-PML-N leader Mehtab Abbasi.
The party’s launch came months after Khaqan and Ismail parted ways from the ruling party following their differences with the leadership.
Giving rise to speculations about a new political platform, Khaqan in April approached the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the registration of a new party.
Abbasi: Election Winners Through ‘Form-47’ Can’t Deliver for Pakistan,
In a hard-hitting press conference today, the former prime minister bashed the incumbent government, saying that those won elections on the basis of “Form-47” — reference to the alleged manipulation in the election results — can’t build the country.
He said the constitution was considered just a piece of paper and political parties formed as a ready-made product. “Awam Pakistan represents a new vision, it isn’t a precooked meal.”
Criticising the establishment’s role in politics, Abbasi remarked that one must try once to run Pakistan on the basis of constitution.
“Pakistan is a country where a person holding a constitutional office bulldozes the constitution on a daily basis,” he said and added that every unconstitutional act had produced corrupt politicians.
“It isn’t possible that you keep violating the constitution and the country continues to march forward,” Abbasi said and added that the products of Form-47 could not give anything to Pakistan.
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