Rabbani slams finance minister for ‘threatening’ parliament

ISLAMABAD: Former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani on Thursday took a strong exception to the remarks of Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb for imposing additional taxes of Rs400-500 billion if Parliament did not approve the proposed legislation regarding taxes and said that Parliament cannot be dictated and be held hostage because the legislation has been approved by the IMF.

“The remarks of the finance minister amount to contempt of Parliament. The Senate chairman should take note of it,” he said in a statement while condemning the threat given to Parliament by the finance minister to pass the legislation or face new taxes.

Rabbani also took an exception to the remarks of the finance minister about non-fixation of minimum wage. “If non-payment by the capitalist class of the minimum wage is the excuse of not fixing it, then on the same logic a number of taxes should not be levied because a number of people don’t pay these,” he said.

He said this government is hostage and has bartered the country’s economic sovereignty at the hands of the IMF. “It is also protecting the interests of the comprador capitalists,” he said.