Traders should refrain from giving oxygen to a political party: Firdous

By Mehtab Haider

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Saturday said that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), as well as, the relevant provincial ministers of industries are already working on a resolution of the traders’ matter and are busy in a dialogue.

While talking to reporters during a presser here on Saturday along with Federal Minister for Planning Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, she said: "Such traders, who by linking trade with politics wish to give oxygen to a political party, should refrain from such tactics and let the wheel of progress move forward, as this is how reforms will be brought and the country will move up in the world." She said: "The government will not be blackmailed by anyone."

Responding to a question, she said the government was negotiating with the traders to resolve their problems. However, traders having political agenda would be dealt with accordingly.

The government could not be blackmailed by anyone, she added. She said out of 20,000 traders of Anarkali Bazar (Lahore), only 600 pay taxes.

The country should no more be run through borrowing, she added. The traders’ wing of some political parties were compelling the businessmen to observe strike.

The SAPM said Accountability Court Judge Arshad Malik has been barred from working, adding that speeches of convicted people are aired live on the media. She said no twitter account was blocked by the information ministry.

She said that a competition was going on among the PML-N leaders to show their obedience to the Zil-e-Subhani of Jati Umra by holding workers conventions. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders were in fact trying to get appreciation from their ‘king’, she said.

She said the incumbent government fully believed in the freedom of expression as evident from the fact that journalists were writing whatever they wanted. Similarly, there was no restriction for anchor persons to discuss any matter on air, she added.

She said the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to the United States was very important. Some unscrupulous elements, who were dejected due to the visit, were using some journalists for their ulterior motives.

She said Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who was the puppet prime minister selected by Zil-e-Subhani, had wasted record public money on his useless foreign tours. She said: “Those trading in millions had wasted billions of rupees of the nation on futile foreign tours. A lot of public money was given to the near and dear ones as tips besides TA/DAs and having lavish meals on government expense by the past rulers,” she added. Dr Firdous said Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, during his brief tenure as prime minister, had undertaken 19 foreign trips with the entourage of 214 people, costing Rs259.59 million to the public exchequer.

Dr Firdous said PML-N leader Khawaja Asif had become a threat to Pakistan’s security as he kept on receiving salary from a foreign company while he had the portfolios of foreign, and water and power ministry. The federal cabinet, she said, had already directed the Ministry of Interior to investigate the matter.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Planning Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtyar said that the government has decided to establish Pak-China Business Council and list of reputed private sector businessmen already shared with Chinese Embassy here in Islamabad.

Just ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to US, Pakistan has decided establishment of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority under the jurisdiction of Planning Ministry.

“We have decided to establish CPEC Authority under Ministry of Planning and legislative bill will soon be introduced to this effect,” Federal Minister for Planning Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtyar said during a joint news conference, along with Adviser to PM on Information & Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan here at PID on Saturday.

When asked specifically about decision of establishing CPEC Authority ahead of PM’s visit to US, the minister replied that the establishment of authority had nothing to do with the upcoming visit of prime minister to US. However, the minister opined that Pak-US re-engagement would open a new era of opportunities as it showed that interest of international community was increasing manifold. He further said that the PTI-led government was committed to projects and agreements signed under CPEC as it would harness to upscale opportunities for Pakistan. The CPEC Authority, he said, would be established to implement long term plan up to 2030.

When asked about NAB’s investigation on projects under CPEC, the minister replied that the CPEC projects played a key role for overcoming power deficiency and China made huge investments at a time when no one from other countries were ready to invest in Pakistan. “If there were no CPEC projects on energy the country might have plunged into severe loadshedding at the moment,” he made it clear.