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Friday March 29, 2024

JI leader fears new wave of price-hike, taxes after IMF deal

By Bureau report
November 24, 2021

PESHAWAR: Provincial President of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan has flayed the government for the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and said the nation has been mortgaged through the new deal.

Addressing a news conference here on Tuesday, he feared the prices of petroleum products and electricity would be hiked further as a result of the agreement.

“Those making tall claims of preferring suicide to go to the IMF have literally sold the entire country for just one billion dollars,” he said.

Flanked by the party provincial deputy chief and member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Inayatullah Khan, the JI leader said the deal with the IMF is a “surrender document” and it is a matter of shame for the government to celebrate the shameful act.

He said the government had agreed to give space to the IMF representative in Islamabad like a viceroy.

“Now a new tsunami would come in the shape of new taxes and price-hike by June next”, he added. The JI leader condemned the alleged audiotape of former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar which was leaked recently.

He said the forensic audit of the audio recording should be done. If the tape is found to be genuine, the former chief justice should be declared a national offender as the entire justice system of the country has come under question after the alleged audiotape leaking.

Senator Mushtaq urged the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo moto notice of the recording.

He was critical of the killing of Jamiat Ulema Islam Fazl (JUIF) worker, Qari Ilyas, in Bajaur and pointed out that the elder brother of Qari Ilyas had also been killed by unknown people a few days back.

The JI leader said the deputy commissioner of Bajaur had been informed about the threats to the life of Qari Ilyas, but no step was taken for his protection.

He demanded of the government to provide a martyr package to the family of Qari Ilyas.

About the development package for the tribal areas, Senator Mushtaq said the government had announced Rs300 billion for the merged districts of which only Rs112 billion could be released and utilized so far.

He said the government was planning to run away from the local government election and this was the reason that the JI has moved Supreme Court so that the elections could be ensured.

The JI leader said his party was fully prepared for the local government polls and it would field candidates for the seats of 2,382 councillors. He said 125 JI councillors on different categories had been declared elected unopposed.