LAHORE: Former Federal Planning Minister and PMLN Central General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal says the 10 percent increase in government employees’ salary is a mockery and has demanded at least a 20-25 percent increase.
While addressing a press conference at the party secretariat in Model Town Ahsan said that this government team is responsible for ruining the country’s economy. He said the government planned a day before the budget that it will hold back its main points and will continue giving mini-budget after mini-budget will break the backs of the already crushed people of Pakistan. They will increase the prices of electricity and petroleum products, he foretold.
The former Planning Minister pointed out that because of the incompetent PTI, PMLN’s completed 12th Five Year Plan could not be released by this government. He reminded that PMLN also had a 12-year plan. Today, there is no development plan, team, capacity and the nation is suffering because of it. He said the Opposition leaders will give a detailed address on the government’s claims in the budget on Monday.
“Imran Khan used to deceive the people that there is no one more patriotic and proud than him. 2 rules and regulations were bulldozed, one of which is to give NRO to Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav. The petition of Indian spy is being heard in Islamabad High Court. This is the darkest law, military dictators used to pass laws titled with someone’s name; this was the first time a law had been passed with the name of an Indian Spy only to please India. PMLN strongly condemns this and daclares it unacceptable. The law was passed ignoring protests by the opposition. This is a blotch on the face of the parliament of Pakistan”, Ahsan lambasted.
Is this the job of the parliament?, he questioned. He said only military dictators used to bulldoze election laws. PMLN used to pass laws by consensus in the past which included PTI members. But, this government first bulldozed the ordinance, then the rules and regulations and passed the election laws. He said no attempt was made to reach a consensus on PMLN proposals which means that the PTI wants to steal the next elections by e-voting. He said Imran Niazi knows that the people will bury the incompetent PTI in the next elections, that is why he is looking for a back door into power corridors by cheating the people of Pakistan. This he said will set a precedent for every future government to do all it can to close the door to free and fair elections. The government has already made the upcoming elections controversial, he said. He reminded that the pilot project on e-voting and overseas voting was called off because it lacks privacy and these machines can be tampered with.
Ahsan pointed out that the PTI government has demarcated constituencies on the basis of voter registration rather than population. Voter registration is low in the backward areas of the country, which is why they are being excluding them from the electoral process. This, he said will benefit the urban and developed areas. Increase the number of seats and decrease the number of seats in Balochistan, he said. If no one casts his vote, it does not mean that he should be expelled. There is an attack.
“ What does Fawad Chaudhry know about the voting machine, I am an engineer, I know more about technology. If e-voting was a solution, countries like the United States and the United Kingdom would have adopted it. Opposition is not against overseas Voting but we say that those living in France are aware of the problems of small areas of the country. Overseas Pakistanis can be elected as representatives or seats in elections, maintained.
But he said these are sensitive issues, that require consultation with the Election Commission and the opposition on this but PTI did not consult with anyone. PTI have lost 8 elections and they know that now the funeral is coming out that is why they are looking for the back door. He warned that if there is an attempt to steal in the next elections, the people will guard their vote. He said PMLN will work with all the opposition parties to come up with a common strategy to thwart this attenpt to steal the elections.
Talking about the Railways, he said PMLN had approved the ML One project but it has not been launched in 3 years.
“This government has given far less resources to the railways than PMLN. We have the largest development and defense budget of our time. Till yesterday they used to taunt us with Kalbhushan but today let’s see who is and was the protector of Pakistan. All our options are constitutional and democratic, we will not take any undemocratic approach. PDM is launching a public campaign again from July 4th. The Election Commission should work with all political parties for fair election, otherwise a civil war-like situation could ensue, he warned.
He said PTI is a political corpse. Imran Niazi is responsible for humiliating legislation. This is a dishonest government. If this government is serious, then it should send its suggestions to the Election Commission and pass the law after consensus. Ahsan said Imran Khan might dissolve the assemblies himself and hold elections. PMLN is fully prepared for the electoral process which has been gauged from the 8 by-elections, he concluded.
