Former prime minister and ex-PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday criticised the federal government for, what he said, reneging on its promise to do away with the National Accounability Bureau (NAB) after coming to power.
Speaking to the media after appearing in an accountability court here, he said as long as the bureau exits, the country will not progress. “You [government] have imposed taxes of Rs4,000 billion on your own people. At least abolish such institutions to save billions because such institutions only harm the country and don’t benefit it in any way,” Abbasi opined.
He lamented that he had been appearing in the accountability court for the past five years, but the case was not proceeding. “NAB was created to manage politics and it is still being used for political purposes today,” he claimed. About the fiscal budget 2024-25, he said it was the worst of budgets, adding that the government’s own senators billed budget as failed one and even its allies said in the assembly that this budget was the people’s enemy.
“The only new thing in the budget is Rs4,000 billion worth of taxes,” the former premier maintained. “The government claimed it was a business-friendly budget, but out of hundreds of thousands of companies in Pakistan, not a single one has agreed that it’s a business-friendly budget.”
He pointed out that the government had even imposed taxes on exports, which are incentivised the world over. He said the common man had been burdened with taxes as half of their income would go to taxes.
“This is the first country in the world where you are taxed even on the taxes you pay. How long can such taxation continue? What new measures will they implement next year, and the year after that?” Abbasi asked.
He also questioned whether the government had brought in reforms to cut its expenditure and jack up its revenue. About the allocation of funds for parliamentarians, he said the government would buy votes with borrowed money.
“The smuggling of oil, diesel and cigarettes is ongoing but there is no one to stop it” he said. Earlier, Abbasi, along with others, appeared before an accountability court in a case related to the alleged illegal appointments of the managing director and a deputy managing director of the Pakistan State Oil. The case was adjourned without hearing till August 7.