ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s call for civil disobedience and non-payment of taxes drew stiff opposition from business community, industrialists and chambers of commerce. They described Imran’s political approach as negative and questioned the logic behind his call for non-payment of taxes and utility bills.
As per details, the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) rejected the call for civil disobedience, terming it a conspiracy to derail the economy.
In this regard a resolution was passed at a meeting attended by representatives of 20 major trade and industry associations of Lahore.
LCCI President Engineer Sohail Lashari said there was no justification for giving the call for civil disobedience as the step was always taken to protest against foreign occupation and there was no such situation in Pakistan.
The LCCI president argued that it was beyond comprehension why the PTI leadership would take such an extreme step at a time when the government had already expressed its willingness to listen to their points of view.
Similarly the Faisalabad business community also reinforced the calls for restoring political stability, saying that it has been adversely affect business activity in the textile hub of Pakistan.
According to Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) Chairman Sohail bin Rashid, the political movement in Islamabad would weaken the economy and create more poverty and unemployment.
He said that the stock market had adversely reacted to the ongoing instability and lost over Rs300 billion.
The businessmen pointed out that the call to stop paying bills and taxes was unpatriotic and would hurt the common man as well as the overall economy of Pakistan.
“The business activities of the country have come to a standstill during the past three weeks. We are unable to invite international trade delegations to Pakistan in the present worsening law and order situation,” said Council of Looms Owners Association Chairman Waheed Khaliq Raamy.
On the other hand, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Zakaria Usman said that with Imran Khan-led PTI and Tahirul Qadri’s PAT staging protests and sit-ins in Islamabad, the investment climate has remained uncertain.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar rejected PTI Chief Imran Khan’s call for civil disobedience as unlawful and unconstitutional. He said that for the past one week the stock exchange had suffered a loss of Rs350 billion.
He said that international organisations and credit rating agencies were appreciating government’s economic policies including Moody’s, which had improved the ranking of Pakistan from negative to stable.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s announcement that he will march into the Red Zone and Tahirul Qadri called for the holding of a people’s parliament in the federal capital, took its toll on stocks and Karachi Stock Exchange-100 Index plummet by more than 300 points in early trading.
On Monday at close, the KSE 100-Index decreased 0.23% or 65.60 points to end at 28,852.15.
“Anxiety prevailed over the ongoing standoff between PTI, PAT and ruling PML-N with the former calling for civil disobedience and asking supporters not to pay taxes,” said Bilwani, adding that fear also existed of clashes with police as Imran had announced to enter high security red zone kept investors concerned.”
Moreover, the PTI has devised a dangerous strategy to march into Red Zone and Constitutional Avenue. Reports said that women and children will be included in the march towards areas guarded by riot police, paramilitary forces, containers and barbed wire.
While, Pakistan Army has put its troops in Islamabad on ‘high alert’. Fearing any untoward incident taking place if the PTI or PAT enter the Red Zone, Corps Lt-Gen Qamar Bajwa and 10 other corps commanders have contacted top officials of the Islamabad Police for coordination to ensure security of the key government installations located along Constitution Avenue.
The troops have been deployed in the federal capital under Article 245 of the Constitution. The army is however not bound to act in aid of Islamabad police in the enforcement of this section unless Chief Commissioner Islamabad orders them to do so.
Meanwhile, Federal Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique has also said that the government will soon decide whether to allow the rally participants to enter Islamabad’s Red Zone area.
He added that the government was not considering the option of imposing an emergency.
He said that while the government was making efforts to contact PAT and PTI, attempts to convince both parties against taking any unconstitutional steps had remained ‘unfruitful.’
FBR to take emergency fiscal measures to meet annual revenue targets
LAHORE: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has not achieved its revenue collection objectives for the second month in succession,...