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Pakistan

Pakistan’s real foe is its expenditure habit: caretaker PM Kakar

  • Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar addresses delegation of students from Harvard University who are in Pakistan on a visit
Published August 26, 2023

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Saturday said that Pakistan needs to alter its expenditure and revenue generation in order to ensure survival.

“In short, I wonder why the IMF (International Monetary Fund) is being treated as a foe. It is not a foe neither is it a friend,” said Kakar.

“The real foe is our expenditure habit and the way we generate revenue,” he said.

He passed these remarks during an interactive session with a delegation of students from Harvard University, who are in Pakistan on a visit.

He said that Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio is too low at around 9%.

The caretaker prime minister shared that his government intends to enhance its tax net.

“How to bring in the non-documented economy and enhanced the tax network. How do we invest in our human resources, do we manufacture goods or develop our individuals and sell services.

“So these are the two areas on which broadly we will focus,” he said.

The caretaker PM said that the country is gifted with talent and, “we need to put more into our human resource.”

On relationship with the US, the caretaker PM said that Pakistan seeks long term partnership with the US.

“We are rational enough to engage in this relationship, but it doesn’t mean we agree with everything that America does and of course, we have a very healthy disagreement,” he said.

Delving on the historic Pakistan-US ties, Kakar elaborated the contributions made by the South Asian nation.

Kakar said Pakistan has a “healthy, wealthy and engaging vibe” towards the US.

Kakar said Pakistan sees the US as a big power but at the same time wants to see it to turn itself into a great power.

“We want to partner that journey of greatness along with the US,” he said.

Kakar said it was not possible for a nation to “divorce itself” from America if it wanted to remain connected with global technology, research and development.

Economy and development: Blome says US to help caretakers pursue agenda

“We are rational enough to engage in this relationship, but it doesn’t mean we agree with everything that America does and of course, we have a very healthy disagreement.”

He further said that one should not forget that the capitalist system’s frontline state was Pakistan.

“The entire gross domestic product of the Western hemisphere … probably $20 trillion or $40 trillion… is preserved because we fought a war with Marxist ideas where the Soviet regime, along with the whole of Eastern Europe, was giving and demonstrating an alternate political and economic system.

US envoy meets CEC ahead of elections

“If we wouldn’t have fought from 1979 to 1989, the $30 trillion of the capitalist economy wouldn’t have been there, we contributed to that … we were in the forefront, but I feel at times we fail to articulate what we have contributed towards global peace, global security and global economic and financial institutions.”

While answering a question, Kakar said that Pakistan was working on developing a “social contract” to ensure that the rights of the citizens were protected.

On Friday, the Harvard students also interacted with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, as per Aaj News.

In his remarks, the COAS said that Pakistan was acting as a “bulwark against terrorism” and called on the international community to realise the immense sacrifices rendered by the country.

The army chief also highlighted Pakistan’s rich potential and urged the participants to perceive the country based on their experiences during their stay.

Comments

Comments are closed.

Johnny Walker Aug 26, 2023 02:43pm
Cutting expenditure? What is he on. Have you seen the amount of vehicles in his protocol?
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IMTIAZ CASSUM AGBOATWALA Aug 26, 2023 02:43pm
How about the caretaker PM does something to reduce frivolous expenditure, by setting an example.
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Obaid Surmawala Aug 26, 2023 03:06pm
Its now Pakistan's foe but its ruling elite which is a garbage for Pakistan.
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KU Aug 26, 2023 03:16pm
He's right, especially the habitual expense that never sees the light of an audit, and is always filed and shelved in the magic vaults of public offices, never to be found ever again.
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Builder Aug 26, 2023 03:33pm
“The real foe is our expenditure habit and the way we generate revenue,” I like the statement but a little correction that we don't generate revenue. If we have been generating revenues, we wouldn't have been in this fiscal mess. If economy were documented and fairly taxed, revenues could surpass PKR 20 trillion instead of 2023-2024 target of around PKR 9 trillion which probably will be difficult to achieve.
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BK Aug 26, 2023 05:51pm
So says this PM who is a PhD economist! As soon as people come into power, be it military men or the bloody PDM junta, they all become experts of everything
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Zahid Khan Aug 26, 2023 05:52pm
Everyone knows about it and everyone talks about it. But no one is brave and sincere enough to do seriously about it. Seems like a grand corrupt setup. To install super courrpts they have to provide them huge packages.
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Bashir A Aziz Aug 26, 2023 07:03pm
Mr. Prime minister, what are you going to do about it? Other than talking about it. Have you looked around yourself to cutdown on the expenses that add no value to our country. Start with the protocols and other useless expenses that your incurred by your department and your ministers. How much do you spend my countries capital on your meals, petrol, air conditioner, etc. The most bang from the buck and easy to implement would be the start with cutting down the size of the army. Cutting the size of the army would to 50% of its current size. Then the rest of the government would need to be cut down. And how about the free electricity and other perks that are provided to the higher echelon of the government? Are they necessary?
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Amir Aug 26, 2023 07:53pm
Barring several problems in the above two clips of Mr Kakar attached to this report and wonder if our 'leaders' of the past few decades, barring Mr Imran Khan of course, have the faintest idea as to what Mr Kakar is saying about the economy and other issues!
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Doc Asad Aug 26, 2023 08:51pm
Country's rulers' expenditures. Please be specific :)
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Love Your Country Aug 26, 2023 11:43pm
and what about the culture of not paying taxes and not taxing fairly?
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Love Your Country Aug 26, 2023 11:44pm
@KU, pls be open about it, I mean more open about the expenditure you are talking about.
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