Rulers made rosy promises in elections campaign but failed to perform in their first year:Liaqat Baloch

Lahore: The JI Secretary General Liaqat Baloch said that the present rulers had held out rosy promises to the masses in their election campaign but they had proved a failure during their first year rule.

The masses had been disappointed by the corruption and bad governance of the government which was spending huge funds of projects like metro bus but ignoring major national institutions like Railways and the PIA, he was addressing the pre-budget seminar here at Lahore Press Club.

JI Secretary General Liaqat Baloch chaired the seminar ,  which was also addressed by Dr Farid Ahmed Piracha, former President of Lahore  Chamber of Commerce and Industry, President, Traders wing of the PML(N), Muhammad Ali Mian, former Member, FBR, Sarfraz Ahmed Khan, Kisan Board chairman Haji Muhammad Ramazan and others.

Liaqat Baloch stressed upon the rulers to retrieve around four hundred billions of the nation lying in Swiss banks. He said that foreign investment in the country would remain a dream as long as the ruling elite continued transferring their own money abroad.

He said that Karachi was the economic hub of Pakistan and until and unless target killings and extortions were controlled, the national economy could not improve. He urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to adopt concrete measures for restoring peace in the port city.

Liaqat Baloch said that India, a staunch enemy of the country, was bent upon ruining our industry and agriculture through water terrorism by building dams. He said that in the coming budget, the government must allocate funds for a major dam. He said the technical experts had termed the Bhasha dam unviable on technical grounds, therefore, the government should immediately decide to complete the Akori Dam on water footing.

He said that the interest based economic system was dying out all over the world yet the Pakistani rulers were not ready to withdraw their petition lying in the Supreme Court in support of the interest.

Sarfraz Ahmed Khan, in his address, urged the government to abolish the oppressive taxation system and introduce a just and balanced taxation system. He said that relief could be provided to the poor by introducing 70 per cent direct taxation and 30 per cent indirect taxes.

He said that despite acute water shortage, 26 million acre feet of water was being drained out into the sea.

Muhammad Ali Mian stressed upon the rulers to go ahead with the Pak-Iran gas pipe line project rejecting all outside pressure in order to overcome the energy crisis.

Speakers at the pre-budget seminar maintained that the solution to the major issues including lawlessness, terrorism, poverty and unemployment lies in self reliance and getting rid of the IMF and the World Bank.