FOREIGN remittances, volume of trade and award of contracts by Indians, based in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, to their country of origin far exceed the total sum of money remitted through regular channels by Pakistanis or trade and contracts owned by them.

The only difference is that investment by Indians in the UAE does not involve its ruling elite, or serving and retired members of the establishment, but is dominated by businessmen.

On the other hand, in the case of Pakistan, it is monopolised by a few members of the corrupt ruling elite and bureaucracy, who earn in Pakistan, pay no taxes and transfer their black money through illegal channels.

No Indian politician who aspires to any constitutional elected public office can even dream of owning in his name or in the name of his family any palatial villas in Emirates Hills, Palm Peach Jumeirah, Burj Khaleefa or multi-storey buildings on Sheikh Zayed Road such as HDS Business Centre or anywhere else in Europe, the US, Canada, Australia or the Far East.

The Indian constitution does not allow any Indian to hold another nationality, nor does the Indian election commission allow any prospective election candidate to own properties outside India either in his name or in the name of his family, unless such an investment is authorised by the Indian Internal Revenue Board and the India government after payment of taxes.

In any case, annual foreign remittance by Pakistani workers based in the UAE is in the range of $3.60 billion whereas, according to reports, $4.50bn was shifted from Pakistan for investment in the Emirates in 2014. This illegal reverse flow of foreign exchange from Pakistan to the UAE and from there to other countries takes place regularly through four major international airports in Pakistan and through illegal large smuggling boats along Pakistan’s coastal belt with the connivance of security, customs and the coast guard deputed there to stop this illegality.

More than Emiratis, it is the local Pakistani facilitators and estate managers who were involved in the brutal export of minor slave children as camel riders who should be blamed. Neither Indians nor Sri Lankans would have obliged.

Ali Malik Tariq

Lahore

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2015

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