Loud Thinking

Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

All the Pakistani stake holders in its political system, more so the PTI, must realise that the current political logjam resolution, through the judicial commission enquiry, may create more problems than providing the black and white answers to the question of whether the election 2013, were massively rigged or not. In fact, this is a classical catch 22 situation.

As such, foresight demands and also it is in the larger interest of the nation, to not to follow a course of option, which most certainly will pop up more serious problems, instead of resolving the issue of massive riggings in the E-2013.

Since, Pakistan has already fallen behind in every sector of economic development, even compared with such countries like Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh and SriLanka etc., it can ill afford plunging from one crisis to another, for months and years on. It is high time that every stake holder realised that enough was enough and for the sake of Pakistan, we have to move forward, sacrificing our egotism.

As they say no player is bigger than the sports, it should be clearly realised that no politician is also bigger than the country and its national interest.

Hence, in view of the foregoing, the following win win solution is being placed before all the stake holders and the key institutions to immediately take Pakistan out of the present political crisis.

PROPOSAL:

– Pakistan can have a referendum under the supervision of its armed forces and rangers, to get reply of just one question i.e., whether E-2013 were rigged or not. And, if the answer is in affirmative then the Prime Minister Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, should dissolve all the assemblies, set up a new care taker govt and hold fresh elections, under a new EC.

– Moreover, before the dissolution of the assemblies, the parliament must also pass a bill, for the election reforms, as per the consensus of all the stake holders.

– In the meantime, the PTI should also join back the assemblies and end its Dharna in Islamabad.

The proposal of referendum is allowed under the constitution and no one can object that any constitutional violation was committed.

نہ سمجھو گے تو مٹ جاوٴگے اے سیاست دانو تمھاری داستان تک نە ەوگی داستانوں میں

SHAME ON SUCH SO CALLED DEMOCRATS WHO HAVE ORDERED TO FORCEFULLY SHUT DOWN ARY AND SAMAA TV TRANSMISSIONS AND MR ZARDARI HAS THE GALLS TO SAY WORST DEMOCRACY IS BETTER THAN DICTATORSHIP

SHAME ON LOOTERS AND PLUNDERERS OF PAKISTAN.

Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif,

Honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan,

Dear Sir,

Please remember that MAN IS MORTAL HIS GOOD DEEDS ARE IMMORTAL.

Kindly peruse below a news item published today by the Times of India, which reflects that the Indian PM is talking nothing at the G20 summit in Australia, except about the BLACK MONEY repatriation to India.

Mr. Prime Minister, we are very surprised that although, BLACK MONEY was the main agenda of the PMLN’s Elections 2013 campaign, yet, you have personally never ever talked on this issue, since you became the PM in June 2013.

Your Excellency, the nation demands that your government must seriously fulfil its promises on bringing back nations looted money from abroad; and also fulfil another extremely important promise of breaking the bowl of foreign loans.

Moreover, please also ask your finance minister that he should remember that he was the minister of the Pakistani government and not appointed by either the IMF or the Swiss government. He should not ruthlessly tell the nation that looted money repatriation from abroad was well neigh impossible; and at the same time our government officials are continuing excursion trips of Switzerland, as if they were employed by the nation to have joy rides.

Everyone going abroad on state expenses, must inform on return to the nation that what tangible benefits materialised for Pakistan, due to his foreign trip.

Mr. Prime Minister, please also stop your ministers and officials from taking the nation on a ride.

Mian Sahab, the nation wants results on your promises of bringing back the black money from abroad and breaking the bowl of the curse of the foreign loans. We Pakistanis do not want to be burdened with useless statements and more and more IMF loans.

Kindly give the following ONLY Two tasks to Mr. Ishaq Dar for completion, during your current tenure:

– To get rid of Pakistan from the entire foreign debt, either by getting it written off or by any other way.

– Bring back the ENTIRE looted money of Pakistan of ANYONE and EVERYONE, parked anywhere in the world.

And if the finance minister says that he can not accomplish these two assignments or to him these two tasks looks impossible … then please appointment someone else, as the finance minister with these monumental assignments, which if achieved, will make the tenure of your current rule IMMORTAL.

Mian Sahab, remember MAN IS MORTAL HIS GOOD DEEDS ARE IMMORTAL.

Times of India news report published today, is as below:

G20 summit: Narendra Modi calls for ‘close coordination’ on black money

BRISBANE: As India makes attempts to recover black money from abroad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked every country, especially tax havens, to provide information for tax purposes in accordance with treaty obligations.

Raising the pitch on the black money issue, Modi in his intervention at the summit of the Group of 20 industrialized and major emerging economies called for close global coordination to address the challenge posed by it.

Modi voiced India’s support for a new global standard on automatic exchange of tax information, saying it would be instrumental in getting information relating to unaccounted money hoarded abroad and enable its eventual repatriation. He also extended India’s backing for all initiatives to facilitate exchange of information and mutual assistance in tax policy and administration.

The prime minister made the remarks at the plenary session on the subject of “Delivering Global Economic resilience” on the second and final day of the summit held at the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention centre.

He also expressed the hope that Base Erosion and Profit Sharing (BEPS) system would fully address concerns of developing and developed economies.

BEPS is a technical term referring to the effect of tax avoidance strategies used by multinational companies on countries’ tax basis. BEPS is known more commonly as “Transfer pricing”

This term is used in a project headed by the OECD that is said to be an attempt by the world’s major economies to try to rewrite the rules on corporate taxation to address the widespread perception that the corporations don’t pay their fair share of taxes.

The prime minister also said that increased mobility of capital and technology have created new opportunities for avoiding tax and profit shifting.

Modi underpinned the need for the world community to take coordinated decisions although each country has its domestic priority.

“Need for policy coordination among major economies remains strong,” he said.

“Close coordination is important not just for addressing the challenge of black money but also security issues like terrorism, drug trafficking and arms smuggling,” he said.

Touching upon the resilience of the financial system in the world, Modi said it will also depend on cyber security.

Mr. Arun Jaitely and the Indian government are sadly and badly mistaken. The fact is that Pakistan and Kashmir are inseparable entities.

Actually, it is for the Indian government to accept the ground reality and decide between war and peace, with Pakistani and Kashmiri people.

Moreover, the Indian government should also be careful, while addressing all issues with Pakistan, which is neither Bhutan nor Nepal.

We the Pakistanis, know very well the worthlessness of India, which has even failed to subdue Sri Lanka, where recently about a dozen Indians, have been awarded death penalty.

Last but not the least, we Pakistanis also know that the United States leaders have clearly told India that it can’t be included in the UN Security Council, as its permanent member, until and unless india resolves Kashmir problem with Pakistan.

So, the fact is that it is in India’s own long term strategic interest, to be at peace with Pakistan; which obviously can’t be achieved without resolving the Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the UN resolution; and the aspirations of the people of Kashmir.

Indian policy makers must repeat must, clear their mind that it can not gain anything, by its newly adopted policy of verbal and military aggression. Pakistan is NOT made of the material, which can be subjugated by India.

Mr. Arun Jaitely, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

My reply to the Indian defence minister’s following statement:

@DunyaTV: Pak should decide whom to talk to, govt or separatists: Jaitley http://t.co/oYfV3iLQKL

My reply:
@arunjaitley @ForeignOfficePk Pakistan and Kashmir are inseparable it is for India to decide if its wants to live in peace with Pak or not.

Pakistanis beware of being gassed (those using gas of Rs.500/ month up till now may well be paying up to Rs.5000/month) in this Economy of loans & corruption .http://t.co/MFKF1ASCRU

Massive increase in gas tariff likely

Khaleeq Kiani

Published about 6 hours ago

.—AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: Amid a controversy over excessive power billing, the government is set to face another wave of public outcry as gas tariff for all categories of consumers, including domestic, is likely to be increased by three to five times in a month or so.
The phenomenal increase is anticipated in the wake of failure of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and the federal government to notify consumer prices over the last four months.

“Our estimate is that a domestic consumer who receives a monthly bill of Rs500 will get a bill of about Rs5,000,” an Ogra official told Dawn.

Know more: PM orders fresh probe into overbilling

It could create a political crisis for the government as the people would forget power over-billing, he said.

A part of the surge would be caused by higher consumption in winter, but the major increase would come because of recovery of Ogra-determined revenue from consumers in eight months instead of 12 months.

The problem emanates from the inability of the government to advise the regulator how a Rs35 billion tariff increase be passed on to different categories of consumers within the stipulated time.

As a consequence, Ogra did not notify the consumer tariff by the deadline of July 1.
The Ogra law requires the government to advise the regulator about the adjustment in consumer tariff on the basis of prescribed price set by Ogra for two gas utilities. In case, the government fails to advise Ogra about the subsidy it wants to provide from the budget or through cross-subsidisation among different consumer categories in 15 days, the regulator is legally bound to issue a consumer tariff notification based on prices determined by it.

“Ogra has failed to meet its legal obligation for four months,” the official said. The private shareholders have started sending legal notices to the regulator and the government to take the matter to the court.

Informed sources said Ogra Chairman Saeed Ahmed Khan had repeatedly asked the government to advise it about the subsidy portion. Last week, he is reported to have written a strongly worded letter to the secretaries of the cabinet division and the petroleum ministry about the government’s inability to come up with an advice and the legal challenge arising out of the notices.

They said Mr Khan had warned that the regulator had determined around 14 per cent increase in average tariff on the basis of full year billing, but the average increase had now gone beyond 20pc because Rs50bn would now have to be recovered in eight months.
The sources said legal experts had advised Ogra to issue a notification in the first week of this month to avoid being dragged in the courts.

On top of that, Ogra will be required to notify consumer tariff at the rate of Rs470 per unit for each category of consumers irrespective of existing lowest tariff slab of Rs106 per unit for domestic consumers.

NEGATIVE EQUITY: According to an analyst, unless the increase is recovered from consumers, the capital market equities of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) can turn into negative. The SNGPL’s equity has been estimated to be Rs15bn in the negative.

The sources said the managing directors of the two gas utilities had been interacting with the minister for petroleum and natural resources, but to no avail.

Recently, they had an ‘SOS’ meeting with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and told him that the balance sheets of the companies would be in the red and prices of their shares would plunge if the government did not immediately intervene.

Ogra had worked out 14pc increase in average gas rates in July on the basis of 4.5pc unaccounted for gas (UFG) losses to meet revenue requirements for 2013-14 through a public hearing.

This is in addition to Rs50bn the government had earlier asked Ogra to recover from consumers to meet losses of the two utilities for 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 on account of gas theft, non-recovery of dues because of law and order situation, increase in retail network and sabotage.

The ministry of petroleum and natural resources had recommended that the amount should be recovered through gas tariff by allowing higher UFG losses (up to 7pc) to bail out the gas companies.

In its estimates sent to the government, the Ogra had approved an increase of Rs58.29 per MMBTU (million British thermal unit) for the SNGPL and Rs22.90 per MMBTU for the SSGC with a maximum prescribed price of Rs469 per MMBTU.

Under the law, the government can advise Ogra to fix different rates for different consumer categories like domestic, commercial, industrial, power sector and cement but remaining within the average rate approved by the regulator.

Because of political considerations, the government has been passing on higher tariff increase to industrial and commercial consumers and lower tariff increase to domestic consumers through cross subsidisation.

Published in Dawn, November 4th , 2014.

7 Questions for Mr. Ishaq Dar Finance Minister Pakistan

Posted at www.snayyar.com by Syed Nayyar Uddin on August 26, 2013 in Action Plan to Revive Pak Economy, My Views, Pakistan | Edit

Daily The News reports today that “Conditions of IMF met for $7.3 billion bailout package”.
Link:- http://images.thenews.com.pk/26-08-2013/ethenews/t-25004.htm

Mr. Ishaq Dar kindly clarify the following 7 questions relating to the facts regarding the Pakistan’s economy..!

1. Firstly, you stated on the floor of the house that we are taking fresh loan from the IMF to repay the old IMF loan.

2. You also stated on the same floor of the house that the loan amount from the IMF will be $5.5billion at an interest rate of 3%, which was exorbitantly high interest rate considering that IMF had already decided in December, 2012 to give loan on ZERO interest rate to poor countries.

Kindly inform which country can be poorer than Pakistan, who was unable to even repay its loans?

Your kind attention is invited towards the following news item titled “IMF extends zero interest rates on poorer country loans” published by the daily “Pakistan Today” on 23 December, 2012 detailed news available at the link :- http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/12/23/news/profit/imf-extends-zero-interest-rates-on-poorer-country-loans-2/

3. Secondly, you pledged on the floor of the house that loan terms will not be against the interests of Pakistan.

4. Then you increased the electricity tariff for the Pakistani industrial users by a whopping 70% to fulfil the IMF conditions for the loan.

5. Don’t you think that this power tariff increase will destroy our economy and create unemployment, as the increased cost of production of each and every item, under the use of the poorest of the poor, will make the goods highly expensive and the poor will become even more poorer?

In fact, your this step will ever be remembered in the history of Pakistan, as the one and only top most action which murdered the economy of the country and pushed additional millions of people below the poverty line.

I am also afraid that your this single step may not forever seal, the fate of PMLN’s chances in coming to the power again, as and when the negative impact is gradually filtered down the line.

If I were the PM Pakistan, would never have approved this fatal decision of increasing power rates of the already limping industry of Pakistan.

5. Why you earlier mislead the nation that $5.5billion is being taken for the repayment of the old loan and now the cat is out of the bag and the loan amount is actually $7.3billion?

6. The above fact at #5 also proves that you also wrongly said that this loan was being taken to repay the old loan.

7. Hope you remember the maiden speech of the PM in the Parliament house wherein, the PM promised with the nation on the floor of the house, that nothing will be hidden from the nation.

Then why you hid the fact that this loan is being taken NOT just for the repayment of the loan; and why you hid the fact that this loan amount was actually $7.3billion and not $5.5billion?

An early reply shall be highly appreciated.

Best regards,

Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad

New Year Resolution (written on 31 December, 2013 refreshed on 27 October, 2014 and 17 January, 2015 and still even more relevant TODAY, when both the countries are almost on the brink of a nuclear war, due to very aggressive ceasefire violations by the Indians on the LOC; and as admitted and claimed by the Indian National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, Indians have embarked upon a proxy terror war against Pakistan, under the nomenclature of “Defensive Offensive” doctrine. However, under the scenario, it is not very difficult to visualise the reaction of a nuclear Pakistan, if another Indian sponsored terror attack on Pakistan, resembling the type and magnitude of 16, December 2014 genocide of school kids in Peshawar, is repeated on its soil, by the proxy Indian trained and financed agents, as per own admission of Ajit Doval).

From Pakistan With Love to All the Indians… – Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Posted at www.snayyar.com by Syed Nayyar Uddin on December 31, 2013 refreshed on 27 October, 2014 & 17 January, 2015 in India Peace and Pakistan, International Affairs, My Views, Pakistan | Edit | Subscribe

New Year Resolution – From Pakistan With Love to All the Indians

While wishing all the Indians a very happy and prosperous new year 2015, we would like to inform everyone in India that if at all we have to be friends, then that friendship must be in a true sense; and we must not act and behave with each other, in a hypocritical manner.

Let India and Pakistan be friends in true sense, or else let the leaders of both the countries inform the teeming millions of the sub-continent that an India vs Pakistan all out nuclear war, IS AN OPTION.

It must be clear to ALL the civilian and military leaders in India that assuming (just theoretically) without any Pakistani retaliations, if India (God forbid) reduces the entire Pakistan to rubbles, with a nuclear attack, INDIA TOO won’t be able to survive the radiation, which will reduce the vast agricultural lands in Indian Punjab and other areas, totally uncultivable for hundreds of years, leaving millions of Indians to die, of hunger and diseases.

However, as per the more plausible scenario, if Pakistan decided to empty on India, all and entire of its nuclear arsenal, (Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is increasing at a pace faster than any other country and now is reported to have more nuclear weapons than that of India, reports TOI in its news item of 17, January, 2015 titled “Pakistan’s fourth nuclear reactor appears operational”) either as a first strike, or second strike, almost entire India will be vaporised. And as calculated by the scientists, this all out nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan, will raise so much dust that the entire planet Earth, will have a complete blackout of sun rays for decades, resulting in a dooms day day scenario, for every living organism on Earth.

Moreover, no foreigner will even think of staying and visiting india, with so much high radiation everywhere. Indian nuclear policy decision makers must know in advance that nuclear wars are ABSOLUTELY NO option, with very close neighbours. In such a geographical and military situation, which exists between India and Pakistan, nuclear war is a ZERO sum game, if at all, it is a game.

We would also like to assure the Indians that even if we wanted we can’t conquer India. At the same time even if India wanted, it can’t pull down Pakistan, without India being destroyed, as well.

So, why to waste our time and energies in an imaginary hatred policies? Why to waste our precious resources, in being the prisoners of our foolish past? From the first day of the new year 2015, let us bury our bitter past and be friends in true sense, like all the European countries. India and Pakistan can and must live like United Europe, rather than wasting all the precious resources for living like divided Korea.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Let us have a genuine peace. Let India remove all its strike forces from the Pakistani borders, without any fear. Let us join hands to wage a war against poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy. Let us turn this subcontinent into a bastion of peace and a heaven on earth.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

India and Pakistan just need a period of single decade of genuine peace, to turn around its fortunes, for emerging as the most potent economic and cultural power house of this world.

The only condition is the genuine and authentic peace, like the one which exists in between the EU countries.

Don’t be afraid of problems between the two countries, because they will remain for ever, but we have to give priority to peace, over the problems.

Let us make a new start from the beginning of the new year 2015, with the slogan:
– Long live the friendship of the teeming millions of India and Pakistan.

My comments on the below mentioned article:

Quote.”Finally the time has come that the poor of this world can be better served by abandoning and shutting down the institutions like the World Bank and the IMF etc., which are not only useless but actually responsible for increased number of suicides in the debtor countries by creating more hunger(which in turn breeds terrorism), joblessness, environmental miseries and increasing the number of poor people on this planet.

And for the proof of what I am saying the book titled ‘Confessions of an economic hit man” by John Perkins, is the biggest testimony of the devastation caused by the World Bank and the IMF etc., in the third world countries.” Unquote.

The World Bank: Rebellion in ranks

October 15, 2014, 11:33 AM IST Seema Sirohi in Letter from Washington | India, World | ET

As rebellions go, the one currently simmering at the World Bank is essentially between the haves and have-mores. The plush building on H Street is Discontent Central and President Jim Yong Kim – the Marie Antoinette on the scene – is trying to contain angry employees.
The revolt burst into public view just as finance ministers and central bankers from around the world were descending on Washington last weekend for the annual World Bank-IMF meetings and getting ready to reduce everything from poverty, hunger, deficits, global warming to Ebola.
Kim managed to preside over the gathering but not before conceding to appear for a mini trial. Try as I might, I can’t find my bleeding heart to bleed for the cause of those who make upwards of $100,000 annually, travel first class and in the unkindest cut of all – pay no taxes. But let’s try to be “objective,” maintain the journalistic canard and examine the ferment. How the bank is governed is important for India as it is for others. Besides, India is the bank’s largest borrower of concessional funds.
The bank’s rank and file reached a tipping point when they learnt that Kim had given a bonus of $189,000 to his chief financial officer, Bertrand Badre, as price for unduly taxing Badre’s brain which was already working hard at a paltry salary of $379,000 a year.
Badre’s job was to come up with $400 million in cost-cutting measures through downsizing, salary slimming and restructuring. How delicious the irony that Badre, a French gentleman with the correct pedigree of Sorbonne and Ecole Nationale d’Administration whose job it was to eliminate other jobs, should be outed by another French man, Fabrice Houdart, a mere “senior country officer” for the Middle East. It was the 40-something Houdart who poured over data, found egregious misuse of privilege and Badre’s bonus.
Houdart, now a Che of sorts among followers, asked piercing questions on internal blogs. The people rose up. Already afraid they might be among the 10,000 employees to get Badre’s axe, the “masses” in “G” class, who form the bulk of the work force at salaries between $93,000 to $170,000, exchanged furtive e-mails, phone calls and forced the masters up in the “I” and “J” classes, who make anywhere between $280,000 to $300,000 to pay heed. Are you still with me? Kim was forced last week to call a town hall meeting given the unprecedented anger. A total of 8,000 bank employees either attended or live-streamed the event. The mood was surly, the questions blunt. By some accounts Kim was even booed when he tried to duck the hard balls.
The people wanted to know why there was no transparency in his down-sizing plans and why the hacker of jobs got a “scarce skills premium” (corporate jargon for bonus) while the worker bees were asked to tighten their belts. Why had the budget for 2015 still not been revealed?
In the two years as president, Kim has spent a whopping $12.5 million on outside consultants such as McKinsey, Deloitte and Booz Allen to tell him what to do and how to do it. The “it” being bank’s reorganisation, which, incidentally is the rollicking call every president, going back at least four, has made. The “people” at the bank question Kim’s choices – of Badre and the A to Z of consulting companies to restructure a development bank. “What do they know about development and the complexities of what we do?” an irate Banker asked. Insiders say that besides appointing the wrong outsiders, Kim also put the wrong insiders to manage the “change.” Monsieur Houdart, the sleuth, found examples of questionable behaviour at the top – private jets, misuse of travel benefits such as “rest stops” and frequent visits to home countries.
Others point out that some of the new “senior directors” Kim appointed after a “global search” were either lightweights or had allegations of corruption in their home countries. A Google search reveals interesting results on at least three.
In short, Mr President is clearly out of his depth. It’s a mess and not very different from the countries the bank so courageously tries to clean up. Intrigue, corruption, topdown management and low morale among workers who now have to pay for their own breakfast when traveling. Imagine.

 

Now our economic malaise has reached such a stage that business as usual, is going to jeopardise our statehood, not in years, but in months.

This situation can be gauged from the following facts, derived from the State Bank of Pakistan report of September, 2014:

a). Interest payments on domestic debt grew by 80.5 per cent to Rs188 billion in July 2014 from Rs104bn in the same month last year.

b). The debt servicing on permanent debt jumped by 306.7pc in July 2014.

c). The government had to pay Rs147bn in July this year as debt servicing on permanent debts compared to just 36bn a year earlier, a rise of 306.7pc. The permanent debt rose to Rs3.999 trillion in June 2014 while it was Rs2.174tr in June 2013.

d). The debt servicing as percentage of GDP in FY14 was 4.1pc, which was 40.7pc of tax revenue.

e). Debt servicing was 27.5pc of current expenditure in FY14 compared to 24.7pc in FY13.

When we take fresh loans (on very harsh conditions and extremely high interest rates) to payback the old loans, it is a straight forward admittance of the fact that we have gone bankrupt.

However, instead of stemming the rot, by re-building the economy of the country with prudent internal financial management, detailed as below, the government is pursuing a disastrous policy of running the economy, on loans and increasing the rates of taxes and utility bills:

– Adoption of strict financial discipline, under the guide lines of stringent austerity measures.

– Implimentation of strict administrative and legal steps for reduction in world’s highest rate of corruption (which was estimated few years ago by the chairman NAB to be more than Rs.12 billion per day or Rs.4380 trillion or $43.8 billion per year, compared with FY15’s entire budget of Pakistan, which was equal to Rs.4 trillion or $40 billion).

– Enforcement of very strong administrative and legal measures, for drastic reduction in huge theft of taxes and utilities.

In this connection, it may not be a wrong indicator that this nuclear power nation called Pakistan, was being mortgaged with the foreign powers, by design.

In this regard, the following excerpts from the book titled “Confessions of an economic hit man” by John Perkins, are very relevant to the prevailing situation in Pakistan:

i). Economic hit men {EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. They funnel money from the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign “aid” organizations into the coffers of huge corporations and the pockets of a few wealthy families who control the planet’s natural resources. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, RIGGED ELECTIONS, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder. They play a game as old as empire, but one that has taken on new and terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization.”

ii). “Claudine pulled no punches when describing what I would be called upon to do. My job, she said, was “to encourage world leaders to become part of a vast network that promotes U.S. commercial interests. In the end, those leaders become ensnared in a web of debt that ensures their loyalty. We can draw on them whenever we desire — to satisfy our political, economic, or military needs. In turn, they bolster their political positions by bringing industrial parks, power plants, and airports to their people. The owners of U.S. engineering/construction companies become fabulously wealthy.”

Hence, there is no need to emphasise upon the fact that the degree of the sovereignty of a country, is directly proportional to the state of the economy of that nation.

Actually, in constant growth and development, lies our salvation. Secondly, we Pakistanis must know, that without any doubt, the easiest and surest way of moving ahead, is to stand on our own feet.

Foreign aid, can keep us afloat, but won’t allow us to swim.

Now, the time has come to separate the issues of growth, development, health, education, eradication of poverty & security of Pakistan, from the politics; forever.

It has been a shrewd political tactics in the past, by the all and sundry, particularly by those at the helm of the affairs of the country, to divert the attention of the masses, from the real issues being faced by the teeming millions of Pakistan, by mud slinging on opponent politicians, civil and military servants, judges etc. etc.

However, now we must put a full stop to this non-sense, which has wasted the entire life of Pakistan, spread well over nearing seven decades.

Since, its a matter of impending economic collapse of the country, for which almost all of us are responsible, in one way or the other; and almost no one is exempt from the charge of damaging the cause of the country; we must decide to look forward and forgive and forget each other’s sins of the past, and take each and every segment and political force of the society in confidence, for a very transparent scheme of our future development.

In this connection, Mr. Steve Maraboli has very appropriately said that “Make a pact with yourself today to not be defined by your past. Sometimes the greatest thing to come out of all your hard work isn’t what you get for it, but what you become for it. Shake things up today! Be You… Be Free… Share.”
Nothing can match the benefits of the collective wisdom.

Let us build a new economically strong and politically stable Pakistan, by our collective, prudent and wise decisions: knowing very well that no political party, group or institution is so strong, to run this country single handedly, for a sustainable period, without the help and cooperation of each other. We must also realise that our personal safety and better future, lies in accommodating and cooperating with each other, with the sole aim of building a STRONG Pakistan, under the slogan “Re-born Pakistan”.

In this regard, it is suggested that, we should AIM to bring Pakistan by the year 2035, to the level where Singapore was in the year 2015. All politics & other considerations should be made subservient to this TARGET for the year 2030; even if we have to abolish weekly holidays for the next 16 years & reduce our daily sleeping time to 6 hours.

Moreover, just like the Germans did for their re-building after the Second World War, EVERY Pakistani (residing within and outside Pakistan) must pay for the next five years,10% of its salary, business and other earnings, into the newly established “Pakistan rebuilding fund”.

All stake holders, particularly, from the deprived sections of the society in Pakistan, must immediately come forward, for deciding about the direction of the future of the nation.

Biggest factor in any victory is self-confidence. Anti-thesis of terrorism is education, coupled with economic emancipation.

As such, the nation must embark upon the following agenda, to resurrect our economy without any further loss of time.

1. Pakistan should make a solid case for convincing and requesting to all its foreign donors for a 5 years moratorium, on all debt repayments by Pakistan, which is a frontline state of the world’s war on terror (WOT). Here, don’t forget that the world powers have totally written off loans of many countries, for much lesser cooperation than Pakistan, which didn’t even demand a single penny from the NATO, for use of its airspace, since WOT started in Afghanistan.

2. 20% per annum reduction in all non-developmental government expenditures, plus total freeze in all perks paid from the national exchequer, involving foreign currency.

3. Maximum tax rate on each and every type of income in Pakistan should be fixed at 10%. This will not only bring huge revenues to the government, but will also discourage the tax evasion tendencies.

4. Increase in productivity & exports with liberal tax relief to industry, commerce & trade.

5. Set a target for 20% per annum increase in foreign remittances, by offering innovative incentives to expatriate Pakistanis.

6. Either ABOLISH, PRIVATISE or OUTSOURCE FBR (which will alone increase income by Rs.500 billion) or PRIVATISE or OUTSOURCE FBR & IMPOSE FLAT 10% tax (already being applied on dividend payments etc) on ALL & EVERY TYPE OF INCOME (as already mentioned at 3. above), without any exemption (except for the security forces personnel, whose salaries may be doubled with expected receipt of un-precedented increase in revenue, due to this formula). This will not only reduce income tax burden on salaried class (with max. tax rate of 10%, here don’t forget consultants are ONLY paying 6.5% tax) but will also result in so much increase in revenues, to the extent that government will not require any fresh tax imposition, in the budget. Plus, the government will be able to give tax free salaries to all the armed forces, rangers, police and other security agencies personnel, who are shedding their blood, in fighting the menace of terrorism, for our and our children’s safe TOMORROW.

7. Pakistan’s Foreign policy is excellent in theory, perhaps the best in the world. However, this policy should be implemented in its true letter and spirit with core emphasis on PEACE particularly with its neighbours; and FP thrust and theme should be that any and every action, must result in the economic benefit of the country.

8. Initiate steps (by imposing economic emergency) to bring each and every economic activity under document.

I am more than confident that by the dint of sheer hard work, sincerity & honesty, which is imbibed in the bones of the Pakistani work force, we can surely bring Pakistan, into the comity of 20 developed nations of the world, in the next 15-20 years.

9. The leaders of Pakistan holding the destiny of this great nation, with highest manpower potential and material resources in the world, must remember the following two adages.

– NOT FAILURE BUT SETTING LOW AIM IS A CRIME.
– IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE IT IS PRECISELY THE UNTHINKABLE WHICH MUST BE THOUGHT.

10. To motivate and instil confidence in the entire ordinary citizens of the country (which consists of an overwhelming chunk of the 200 million population of Pakistan), all necessary steps should be initiated to immediately eliminate, entire set of rules and regulations, favouring the VIP culture in the country.

11. Immediate and top most priority must be accorded (equal to the priority given to Zarb-e-Azb) to bring back Pakistani wealth (estimated to be above $500 billion) stashed in the banks of many foreign countries. In this regard, an amnesty and incentive scheme may be offered to all those Pakistanis, who want to bring their money from abroad voluntarily.

PAKISTAN PAINDABAD