Govt hamstrung by inability to collect due taxes

• PM also says he will prefer quitting prime ministership over giving 'NRO' to opposition

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Saturday said he would quit premiership but would not give "NRO" to the opposition, and deplored that 25 million people were living in luxurious houses and traveling abroad "but are not paying taxes".

In an interview to a private channel, the prime minister said that only 1.5 million people have been paying taxes out of the total population of the country, and stated the government was hamstrung by its inability to collect taxes; as a resulting of which there is a gap between expenditure and income.

We are introducing information technology and the information gathered suggest that 25 million people are living in big houses but were not paying taxes, he added.

The minister asked: How can a country survive with $60 billion imports and $40 billion exports."

Pakistan exports are now increasing but the real change in the economy will come with industrialisation, he said, and added his entire effort is now to transform the country into a welfare state, and not an "Asian tiger".

He said that seeking money from other countries is a disrespect for the country, and hoped that the country will start showing growth like it did in the 1960s.

The prime minister also came down hard on the opposition, and stated, from day one, the opposition has been trying to get an "NRO".

He said that if he had to forgive them "then [before that the] first thing I need to do is open the jail where people on small crimes are locked up. I will give up the premiership but will not give them NRO and it does not matter whatever they do".

According to him, Opposition has no interest in policy debate in the Parliament, and all it wants is to get relief in corruption cases. He added: "whenever the government tried to take them into confidence, the opposition sought abolishment of corruption cases against them, and this became clear to the government during the FATF legislation, after the opposition came up with 34 changes in the national accountability law".

He said: "I even as a cricketer can provide money trails and bank statements but they have properties worth billions of rupees but have not provided a single document as how it was earned".

He said the 'NRO' given to both the parties by former General Pervez Musharraf led to massive increase in the country's debt, and the government was facing difficulties in debt servicing owing to scanty revenue collection.

"We have decided not to create any hurdle in Lahore jalsa but cases would be registered against the organisers because the number of positive Covid-19 cases is rising alarmingly," he said.

On the Karachi issue, the prime minister said "the federal government has no power and money goes to the provincial government, and the Karachi package has been prepared in consultation with the provincial government to resolves the issues faced by Karachi".

According to him, a permanent solution to Karachi, myriad issues is a local government system. The present government is increasing spending in Balochistan and bringing GB, erstwhile FATA into the mainstream, he said.

The prime minister said that the number of sex crimes has been increasing and "these are grossly under reported because of social stigma".

Negative material available on mobile phones has harmed the youth, the prime minister said and added that with the power of media, moral value system of society could be uplifted.

NNI adds: The Prime Minister said given the increase in the number of cases of Coronavirus in the country, he cancelled his public meetings. He said: "our focus is now on ensuring compliance of Covid-related SOPs. Educational institutions have been closed as well as the indoor restaurants".

Responding to a question, the Prime Minister said the education system is being mainstreamed by introducing a uniform syllabus from next year.

According to him, the students of class VIII and matric will be taught Seeratun Nabi (SAW) subject. He said Al-Qadir University would promote research on the life and teachings of holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wa Sallam Khatim un Nabiyeen as well as Sufism.

The Prime Minister the religious seminaries have also agreed to teach contemporary subjects to their pupils.

"Little people know the kind of life I have led with all the fame and cultural diversity teaching me what I knew in my youth rather than any books," he said.

He said as he had gone to England at an age of 18 years and then started officially his cricketing career, it followed with his pass into celebrity circle where he got to see global influencers from an up-close.

He said the colonial mindset has taken over our culture and people's lives, with English culture and language becoming prime priorities.

The Prime Minister said: "I learned from dissecting all his ideas and the comparison between the two cultures noting that there was a captivating influence of colonial mindset on our society even after their physical perch had gone away".

However, PM Khan said, there is social welfare in the West which we should look up to and that the first time he knew what a social welfare concept was when he had gone to England but, he stressed, "our only strength is our family system which cannot be replaced".

Even in the West, the PM added, with the onslaught of drugs, immorality and divorces there, their youth strayed away blatantly and even their social system took a hit.

He said our "so-called liberal people who are actually just Westernized minds lack the capacity to actually see through the differences between both societies as they generalize everything drawing from Western examples.

We need a thinker like great Allama Iqbal, said Imran Khan, who can breakdown societies who understand the weaknesses and strengths of societies without simply importing alien ideas without due thought process and comparative analysis".—NNI