Hafiz Naeemur Rehman rejects the budget as a document of IMF slavery

LAHORE, June 12(SABAH): Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Engineer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has rejected the budget as a document of International Monetary Fund (IMF) slavery.

Addressing a press conference at Mansoorah along with Secretary General JI Ameerul Azim, Information Secretary Qaiser Sharif and Salman Sheikh on Wednesday, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman stated that the Finance Minister’s admission of failing to meet the economic targets for the financial year 2023-24 was evidence of the government’s inability to manage the economy effectively. Referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s statements following the PDM’s rise to power in 2022, he said the current administration, PDM-II, also appeared to be aimlessly floundering without the capability to set the country on the right path.

Shehbaz Sharif had claimed that the PML-N, a component of the former PDM government, had sacrificed its political interests to save the economy and Pakistan.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman criticized this, asserting, “You and your allies came to power through rigging and failed to provide relief to the people,” directly addressing the Prime Minister.

He accused the government of granting the IMF full authority for direct interference in national institutions. If the previous 23 programs had not yielded any positive results, the prospects for the 24th were equally bleak, he added.

He argued that the FBR could not take credit for the increase in tax revenue, which he attributed to heavy taxation on the salaried class and direct taxes in the form of electricity and gas bills, as well as the petroleum levy.

Powerful capitalists and feudal lords, he noted, do not pay taxes, leaving the government to burden the poor. He called for an inclusive tax system and the abolition of the interest-based economy. Linking high electricity costs to unfair agreements with Independent Power Producers (IPPs), he urged a review of these contracts.

He criticized the government’s minimal budget allocation for education, highlighting it as a low priority for the rulers, and called for a focus on IT to boost national income. He credited small farmers for the growth in the agricultural sector but lamented that the government has now begun targeting these growers.

He also condemned the PPP, accusing it of playing both sides by cooperating with the government while pretending to be in opposition. He claimed that the PPP, PML-N, and MQM lack a genuine mandate and called for a judicial inquiry into election rigging.

In response to a question, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman criticized PML-N President Nawaz Sharif for extending goodwill to Modi, accusing him of seeking friendship with the “butcher of Gujarat” and the perpetrators of violence against Muslims in India and Occupied Kashmir. Addressing another question, he expressed disappointment over the national cricket team’s performance in the T20 World Cup and demanded merit-based team selection. He concluded by stating that incapable rulers have ruined every sector.