SUKKUR: Leader of the Oppo­sition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah has criticised the federal government for imposing Rs40 billion taxes on people in a mini budget announced on Monday under dictates of the International Monetary Fund. “This will badly affect the local industry and ultimately push up the already high inflation in the country affecting common man,” he observed.

Mr Shah was speaking to the media after inaugurating a 459 megawatt solar-powered water pumping station costing Rs193 million at Patni near Rohri in Sukkur district on Tuesday.

He noted that the people of Pakistan were already facing high inflation and a constant increase in the prices of daily commodities. Instead of taking immediate measures to control inflation, the federal government introduced a back-breaking mini budget increasing tax and duty rates and also imposing new taxes on thousands of items.

While the masses were expecting relief from the government, it came out with a Rs40 billion mini budget only to inflate the national exchequer, he said, adding that no section of the general public would benefit from the new measures.

The PPP leader also acknowledged that growers and peasants were suffering huge losses because of low support prices for their paddy, sugar cane and other crops, and said that all policies chalked out by the government must be aimed at benefiting people.

In reply to a question, Mr Shah said that the repair and maintenance of Sukkur barrage would be undertaken and the ground work for the construction of new barrage would also be carried out. The lining of the Indus banks between Guddu and Sukkur barrages would be carried out at a cost of Rs500 billion, he said, adding that hydel power stations along the banks would also be established.

Regarding various unfinished power generation schemes, the opposition leader said that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) had never responded to the numerous communication sent to it by him for the completion of these schemes.

The PPP government, he said, was taking measures to ensure provision of basic amenities as well as education and health facilities to the people across Sindh.

Earlier, speaking at the pumping station inauguration ceremony, Khur­­sheed Shah said that this project would benefit 40,000 to 50,000 industry and agriculture sector concerns. He said the project was aimed at ensuring water supply to tail-end areas of the Patni distry through the solar-powered station. More solar power projects would be launched in the province soon, he added.

Sukkur barrage chief engineer Wali Mohammed Naich, executive engineer Fayyaz Hussain Shah, Dr Pehlaj Rai and other officials concerned attended the ceremony.

Economic corridor

The opposition leader received a telephone call and later told a large number of people, including reporters, at his residence on Tuesday evening that it was from Federal Minister for Planning and Deve­lopment Ahsan Iqbal. “He conveyed to me Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s message that Sindh’s concerns over the Pak-China Economic Corridor (CPEC) route in Sindh will be removed,” said Mr Shah.

He quoted Mr Iqbal as telling him that the prime minister had directed him (Mr Iqbal) to look into Sindh’s concerns and reservations over the PCEC corridor and the motorway passing through the province.

“He told me that concerns of both rural and urban population of Sindh would be discussed and removed at a meeting scheduled for Dec 8 in Islamabad,” said Mr Shah.

Explaining the issue, the opposition leader said that Sindh’s industrial zones and areas falling within the route of the proposed economic corridor and motorway would be affected if the present map plan was retained.

Mr Shah said that Nooriabad, Kotri-Jamshoro industrial zone and other industrial areas along the road linking the two zones fell within the route of the corridor and if due care was not taken they might suffer great damage. He said all stakeholders including the government and people of Sindh and industrialists’ organisations had been expressing their concern over the feared losses.

In this regard, the opposition leader said, a letter was lately written to the prime minister who had now convened the Dec 3 meeting in Islamabad.

JSQM critical of ‘mini-budget’

NAWABSHAH: The Jeay Sindh Quami Mahaz (JSQM) on Tuesday strongly condemned the government for imposing taxes through ‘mini budget’.

According to the press release, JSQM chairman Sannan Qureshi and other party senior leaders criticised the federal government for imposing new taxes on poor people. The ruling government and military powers looted money through corruption and now they were refilling the treasury by imposing taxes on the masses, they alleged. Tax on more than 350 items was a clear enmity with people, they added.

The press release further stated that the people of Sindh could only get their rights and relief by following G. M. Syed’s philosophy.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2015