PM says India backing ISIS to spread chaos in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Imran Khan said Sunday that India is backing ISIS in the region to spread chaos in Pakistan by fanning sectarianism. 

The prime minister stated this while interacting with digital media publishers and broadcasters in Islamabad on Sunday. He said Pakistan’s security agencies successfully preempted Indian plots to fan sectarianism.

Imran Khan said it is unfortunate that terrorists targeted Hazara workers in thinly populated area. He said previous governments did not pay due attention to Balochistan and always preferred to form alliance with Baloch Chieftains, who became the biggest hurdle in transferring development funds to the grassroots level.

Prime Minister said the PTI government has focused on the socio economic development of Balochistan to uplift the common citizens of the province who are facing extreme poverty. 

Replying to a question, he said he is against giving NRO to those, who looted Pakistan’s wealth and plunged the country into the quagmire of debt. “Any NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) will make my life far easier but it will be disastrous for the country. During last ten years, they had given NROs to each other and consequently the country’s debt swelled fourfold. Then no one was questioning anyone. There was same NAB (National Accountability Bureau) which was disturbing none at that time,” the prime minister said.

Only two million out of 220 million are tax filers

During an hour long interaction with audience comprising journalists, social activists, YouTubers and educationists with huge following on social media, Imran Khan recalled both the NROs were given by Pervez Musharraf, which had damaged the country to a great extent.

Defining moment

He said Pakistan is passing through a defining moment and the social media has a great role in setting new standard of morality by exposing the plunderers.

Responding to a point regarding government’s plan to uplift the downtrodden, Imran Khan said he is going to launch an ambitious program ‘no one go to bed hungry’ under Ehsaas initiative for which information technology is being used to compile data of backward areas.

Prime Minister said the government is also intensively working on uniform syllabus to integrate the nation.

He further said his government is providing health facilities through Insaf Health Card and incentives to the private hospitals in far-flung areas are being given so that people living away from the main urban centers can get quality health services.

He said Naya Pakistan Housing project is another initiative of the government to provide affordable residence to the poor. The Prime Minister said only two million out of 220 million population of Pakistan are tax filers and just 3,000 of them give 70 percent of the total tax collection.

He said to broaden tax net IT based automation is being introduced in the Federal Board of Revenue to make the tax machinery efficient and transparent.

Replying to a question, the Prime Minister said the government introducing electrical vehicles which will help control growing problem of pollution in the country. Replying to a question, the Prime Minister said due to the prudent policies of the government Pakistan is economically rising in construction and export sectors and has made repayment of 20 billion dollars foreign debt.

To a question, Imran Khan said that opposition is maligning the government and the Pak Army and portraying a destructing narrative against the national institutions. He said his government will never compromise on actions being carried out against corrupt elements who looted the national exchequer.

‘Nation’s morality’

He said no one in any civilised country could ever think of its prime minister or foreign minister doing job in a Dubai firm just to launder the money abroad.

The prime minister said the moral downfall preceded the economic downfall of any nation. Some third world nations with plenty of natural resources were poor just because their leaders were involved in corruption.

He said it took long and required tough decisions to challenge the status quo, and exemplified China which jailed its over 400 ministerial level people for their corruption and thus elevated the nation out of poverty.

Imran Khan viewed the least corrupt governments were the most prosperous.

He said in order to change the society and mindset, the nation would have to consider the corruption as an evil, otherwise it could not be eliminated just through law enforcement. Calling it a “classic case”, the prime minister referred to a question by a news anchor as to why Khawaja Asif was jailed for corruption of “just” Rs 220 million. It reflected the downing of a nation’s morality, he added.

Tax payers deserve more incentives

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that tax collection has surpassed Rs2, 205 billion during the first half of the current fiscal year.

Chairing a meeting on tax reforms here, the Prime Minister said that tax payers of the country deserve to be praised and more incentives should be provided to them in the system. The meeting was informed that during the first six months of current fiscal year, tax revenue receipts have crossed 2205 billion rupees.

Similarly, number of tax payers has increased and positive results have been witnessed of several reforms in the system.

The Prime Minister appreciated the entire team of the government and FBR for initiatives and work.

The meeting was informed that tax form for small and medium enterprises has been simplified from five pages to single page.

About sales tax, the prime minister was informed that there is an increase in revenue collection from this system due to link of point of sale to directly with FBR.

Federal Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Shibli Faraz and Hammad Azhar, Advisor to PM Dr Ishrat Hussain, Special Assistant on Revenue Dr Waqar Masood, Chairman of Federal Board of Revenue Javed Ghani and relevant senior officers attended.

Rare species in Karakoram National Park

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said rare wild species including snow leopard and Marco Polo sheep would be protected in the recently announced Himalayan national park.

The prime minister on his twitter handle posted a short video clip of a brown bear moving in thickly covered snow terrain of the national park.

“The Himalayan Brown Bear in Pakistan’s just announced Karakoram National Park. Other rare species that will be protected in this National Park will be the Snow Leopard and the magnificent Marco Polo sheep,” the prime minister tweeted.

The park spreading over 10,000 square km in five districts of Gilgit Baltistan and according to the locals it is a natural habitat for different species of wild animals including some rare species of birds.

Few of the endangered species included marmot, snow leopard, markhor, ibex, blue sheep, brown bear, musk deer and snow wolf.

The central Karakoram National Park is the highest national park in the world and the largest protected area in Pakistan.

PM express grief over Seth Abid’s demise

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed grief and sorrow over the sad demise of renowned businessman Seth Abid Hussain.

In a condolence message, the Prime Minister said Seth Abid was one of the early donors of Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital Lahore.