Wants big currency notes scrapped to end corruption; terms corruption, tax recovery big problems; urges 50-100 day amnesty for black money, says in Geo News ‘Jirga’ programme India made Rs154 trillion through such scheme
KARACHI: Famous businessman and real estate tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain has said there is no harm in criticism of the government policies, but slogans like “Go Nawaz go” can damage the country. Unity among all political forces is a must for betterment of the country, he added.
He was replying different questions of anchorperson Salim Safi in Geo News programme ‘Jirga’. He said that scrapping of big currency notes could help end corruption in the country. Malik Riaz believes that big problems facing the country right now are corruption and non-recovery of taxes.
He advocated an amnesty for 50-100 days for turning black money into white money, as India received Rs154 trillion through such a scheme. He said any traitor could not be his friend. He said not he but the people of Karachi made Altaf Hussain a leader. He said in his university not Altaf Hussain but the youth of Pakistan would get education. He said universities should not be made controversial; these are educational institutions, let them run, he advised the media.
About relations with politicians and leaders, he said that he had no friendship with Pervez Musharraf; however, Asif Zardari was his friend and he would ever remain his friend. He denied any business partnership with Asif Zardari saying he was only constructing buildings on Zardari’s two, three plots.
He said Nawaz and Shahbaz were also his friends. He said he had suggested five projects to PM Nawaz Sharif before his election, through which the country could get billions of dollars.
He said he was spending a lot out of what Allah has given him. However, he admitted that the wealthy have not given the poor their right. He said if the poor of the country would be denied their right, then nobody would be able to stop a revolution in the country. He said if the country experienced a bloody revolution, people like Malik Riaz Hussain would be killed in it. He said they would be killed by the starving people, they would be killed by those people whose children are not going to school, who have no money to feed they children or get them medicine if they fell ill.
He said if he had usurped people’s lands, why the country departments did not take him to task. He said he had been in business for over 20 years. The PPP held me accountable in 1996, every NAB chief including Saifur Rehman held me accountable. The Supreme Court of Pakistan held me accountable, even a respectable judge, who remained the chief justice of Pakistan only for 23 days, did not allow people to offer Juma (Friday) prayers (in Bahria Town mosque). But he could not prove even illegal occupation of a two-lane land.
Malik Riaz said every big gun in the country was a qabza mafia. He said when they (Bahria Town people) telecast a video on television, why no action was taken against it. When we showed a person taking bribe, why no action was taken against him.
He said if he was working in Pakistan, he should be allowed to continue his work, as he has an offer from every country of the world to work there, but he had never invested even a single rupee out of the country. He said he was not a tax-evader and he did not usurp land of anybody, then why he should be held accountable.
Malik Riaz said they (the rulers) say they would bring foreign investment in the country, but they didn’t let their own investors sleep in peace even for one night. He said all corruption allegations against him have proved wrong and therefore all accountability departments should be closed.
He said the media had also failed to prove any allegation against him. Had he been in London, any channel would have paid him damages money worth the total value of the channel, as channels had continuously been running baseless news against him. He told the anchorperson that his channel had made (derogatory) songs against him, and former chief justice got registered a murder case against his son, though he was in London at that time.
He said if anybody had enmity with him, he should shoot him, but he would not tolerate any thing against Bahria Town. He said Bahria Town had 600,000 members, who have invested billions of rupees in the housing schemes. In the West, one who provides employment to people is considered a VIP. He said Pakistan made him Malik Riaz, and currently 55,000 people are working for Bahria Town. He said nobody in Bahria Town, from a peon to a chief executive is ready to leave his/her job. He said Bahria Town has changed the way of living and spending life in Pakistan. It changed people’s habits, it provided people with protection. Members of Bahria Town enjoy every facility of life. Their prayers are bringing blessing to him, he added.
He said bribery was on the rise in the country. Malik Riaz said he never met General Kayani. He said he had no partnership with Kayani’s brother but DHA through.
He said he had never seen the civil and military leadership on the same page on different issues. That’s why we could never understand the agony of those jawans who sacrifice their lives for the country.
He said it is incumbent on the army that it accepts the authority of any person who is elected as a prime minister. The civil and military leadership should talk out all their issues, he suggested.
He believes that bureaucracy and the media were responsible for all ills in the country. The media declares every politician a traitor, and only after one month is seen praising his patriotism. He said people should be told who’s a traitor and who’s not.
He said all stakeholders were responsible for current state of affairs in the country. He said if all stakeholders join their hands, only in two months all problems of the country could be solved, all jobless persons could be provided jobs.
