Ziaul Haq had no ideology, nor did he treasure sovereignty. Zia excelled in creating islands of prosperity surrounded by a sea of misery and bartering state sovereignty for individual gains. His tenure witnessed a widening gap between the rich and poor and a culture of plot allotments in the paid bureaucracy, a remnant of the British Raj.
Unfortunately Zia’s legacy has gripped even the PPP, and both Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif subscribe to his legacy too. Ever since 2009 every elected government in power has withdrawn every proposal announced in the approved federal budget to levy taxes and widen tax net. The latest move was the announcement by the finance minister to impose 10 percent tax on actual profits from the sale of real estate acquired by a seller for a period less than five years. This would have improved the documented economy, lessened tax-to-GDP ratio, discouraged money laundering and brought real estate within the reach of the common man.
Ali Malik Tariq
Lahore
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