Time for Asad Umar to walk the talk: Ahsan

ISLAMABAD: The parliamentarians from the opposition benches while taking part in debate on mini budget on Thursday said the government of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) has failed to give any relief and also criticised the rulers for their failure to give any roadmap for creation of 10 million new jobs in the next five years.

Taking the floor, senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal ridiculed claims of PTI leadership of creating 10 million new jobs. “Instead of creating new jobs, the government has immediately rendered 400,000 people jobless by imposing cut on development projects,” he said adding that the finance minister should have given roadmap for creation of two million new jobs during the first year.

He regretted that there were contradictions in what Asad Umar was doing as finance minister and what he had been saying while sitting on opposition benches. “Asad Umar was against indirect taxes but in mini budget, he proposed generation of Rs70 billion through indirect taxation,” he said adding that Asad Umar forgot all lessons after coming into power.

Similarly, he said that Asad Umar as opposition member used to criticise heavy taxation on cooking oil, powder milk and sugar but in revised budget proposals, he suggested no relief for the masses.

Ahsan Iqbal said if Asad Umar and his government wanted increase in export then there was need to bring reduction gas and electricity tariffs.

The PML-N parliamentarian also mentioned that the Prime Minister had also failed in ensuring that his government does not seek foreign loans to turn around the economy saying that revised budget also did not envisage any relief for farmers community. “Asad Umar also used to speak against interest-based system but gave no roadmap to do away with this system,” he said.

Ahsan Iqbal claimed that there was no economic crisis in the country when the present government took over as the PML-N government left behind high growth economy and low inflation in the country while stock exchange had crossed 50,000 index limit.

He said it would be tantamount to anti-Pakistan measure if the PTI government creates doubts about the CPEC which was game-changer for the country.

He challenged the government to go ahead with audit of power project as parts of CPEC saying these project were most transparent in country’s history. “These projects were approved by Nepra which also included members from four provinces including those from PTI,” he said.

Former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in his speech recounted achievements of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) during its tenure from 2008 to 2013 in economic sector with particular reference to agriculture sector.

The senior PPP leader pointed out that Pakistan was about to become food security risk when 25 lacs tons of wheat was being imported but following steps taken by then Government of PPP, the country became wheat exporter within a period of one year. “The amount which was to be spent on import of wheat was given to farmers for their support enabling them export wheat,” he said.

He pointed out during the PPP tenure, income of farmer of increased while lacs of contractual employees were regularised.

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf pointed out that every government takes credit for CPEC project but it was Asif Ali Zardari to who laid foundation of the mega project. “ Then Asif Zardari was criticized for undertaking frequent visits of China but soon they came to know that the former President had given gift of CPEC to Pakistan,” he said.