Country on brink of bankruptcy: Qadri

LAHORE

The tall claims and dream of making Pakistan into Asian Tiger are just a ploy to hoodwink people as the rulers are in competition of each other as which one takes most loans. 

This was stated by the chairman of Pakistan Awami Tehreek Dr Tahirul Qadri while talking to a delegation led by PAT central Punjab president Bisharat Jaspal on Tuesday. The PAT chief said each year the government is paying back over Rs 1300 billion as mark up on the loans it has taken and by these standard each and every Pakistani including children are under the debt of the loans the rulers have taken. He said it will take many, many years before only the mark up ends, not to talk about the actual loans. He said they have bought the province and country to the brink of bankruptcy.

Dr Qadri said for the first time Punjab will have to pay over Rs 126 billion as the mark-up on the loans it has taken and this far higher than the budget allocations for education, health and agriculture.

The PAT chief said that during the debate on the Punjab Budget the members of the assembly must ask the Punjab rulers how Punjab which always had a Surplus Punjab till 2008 is now under a massive debt of loans of over Rs 800 billion. He said when Punjab develops it means the country is developing and when Punjab is being ruined and destroyed it means the country is being destroyed.

He said the rulers have ruined the farmers and the workers are crying as they have no food and no prospects of earning and this is what the Punjab rulers are doing. He said it does not look that these rulers will have another chance to present another budget, therefore, the assembly members must hold these rulers accountable. 

The PAT chief said the members must ask the CM why Roti is not being provided at Rs 2 and who will a family pass the month on a mere Rs 14,000. He said the rulers are not practicing democracy but actually are monarchs. He said first the Local Government elections were not held for over eight years and after the Supreme Court put down its foot they were finally held and now after seven months have passed power has not been transferred to them and the LGs have not become functional and the budget allocated for them is being used by administrators which is a slap in face of the rulers. He said those sitting in the assemblies must ask the rulers these questions and seek forgiveness from Almighty Allah.