GUJRAT: Jamaat-i-Islami Emir Senator Sirajul Haq has warned the government to avoid imposition of any new taxes in yet another mini budget being presented by Finance Minister Asad Umar on Wednesday (today) and urged him to at least bring the rates of rupee, electricity, gas, petroleum and other essential items to the level of July 25, 2018, when the general elections were held.

He was addressing the participants in an oath-taking ceremony of newly-elected JI district Emir Rana Azeem in Mandi Bahauddin where Punjab party chief Dr Tariq Saleem and others also spoke on Tuesday.

“The governments across the globe present budgets only once in a year but the government in Pakistan is presenting budget with every passing month,” said the JI chief, adding that his party would reject imposition of any new tax [in the mini budget].

“Economy is in dire straits, judicial system has nothing to do with justice and law and order is volatile,” he said.

Mr. Haq said Prime Minister Imran Khan had pledged that he would never speak a lie but he had been changing his positions constantly since assuming power whereas his ministers have so far changed the government’s version for six to seven times on the Sahiwal killings. “This shows the current dispensation too is a continuity of the previous governments.”

He said: “The Pakistani currency has become a piece of paper having no value whereas the Afghan and Bangladeshi currencies have improved in the global market as the finance minister, who would often make lofty claims about his skills to manage the economy, could not so far come up with any solid economic policy even after six months of being in power.”

“If the victims of Sahiwal tragedy belong to some terrorist organisation then why has the Punjab government announced a compensation of Rs20 million for the heirs,” questioned Mr Haq and added that the rule of law did not exist in the country.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2019