Govt asked to cut taxes on POL products: PEW

Aside September 28, 2016 TAUQEER RIAZ

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Sunday asked the government to cut direct and indirect taxes on oil and gas and give benefit of reduced oil prices to masses.

Last year federal government collected 912 billion rupees as taxes while the collection of provincial governments is not included in it.

Government collections will surpass mark of trillion rupees as taxes on some petroleum products have been increased, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President PEW.

In a statement issued here today, he said that overreliance on indirect taxes amounts to admission of the failure of FBR by authorities.

He said that this policy in widening gulf between rich and poor therefore it should be altered at earliest in the national interests.

Murtaza Mughal said that last year government earned Rs 149 billion under the head of petroleum levy which was Rs 131 billion a year before. Similarly Rs 80 billion were earned as Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) which is an illegal tax. GIDC was imposed to import gas from Iran which was never materialised, he added.

A year before government collected Rs57 billion under GIDC which is opposed by the industrial sector but to no avail, he said adding that the income under the head of natural Gas developmental Surcharge has been increased by seven billion rupees to Rs33 billion.

The income by imposing indirect taxes on oil and gas was recorded at Rs582 billion while this sector contributed over 42 percent of the total local sales tax collection.

Government should improve tax administration as dysfunctional tax system is damaging country and masses, he demanded.

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

Wajihuddin quits PTI: Reports

Aside September 28, 2016 TAUQEER RIAZ

ISLAMABAD: Retired Justice Wajihuddin Ahmad has tendered resignation from the basic membership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), local media quoting party sources reported on Sunday.

According to reports, Wajihuddin Ahmad has sent his resignation to Imran Khan, the party chairman.

Wajihuddin Ahmad, who is a retired senior justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, human rights activist, was at odd with the party chairman Imran Khan over intra-party election process.

In August last year, Khan suspended Wajihuddin Ahmad’s basic party membership for discussing party matters publicly.

The dispute between Khan and Wajihuddin Ahmad surfaced after a two-member tribunal headed by the senior justice investigated allegations of irregularities in the 2013 intra-party elections.

After the party tribunal’s detailed judgement, Khan had dissolved the body, irking the senior party leader, who expressed his reservations.

He was also unhappy with resignation of Tasneem Noorani as PTI Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

The disgruntled PTI leader had also demanded sacking of Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak, but his demands were ignored by the party’s top brass.

LATEST, PAKISTAN, Peshawar

Armed Forces fully ready to respond to any situation: DG ISPR

Aside September 28, 2016 TAUQEER RIAZ

PESHAWAR: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa has said that it is regrettable that Pakistan was blamed soon after Uri attack without any evidence having surfaced.

Addressing a news conference in Peshawar on Tuesday he said , Pakistan armed forces are fully ready to respond to any situation. He said Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif questioned the terrorists networks in Afghanistan during his recent visit to Germany. Bajwa said a special operational meeting was held soon after return of General Raheel from Germany.

He said the security forces unearthed and averted fourteen terrorist attacks in different parts of the country.

Bajwa said one thousand four hundred and seventy combing operations have been conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA since 1st July this year to control the menace of terrorism.

He said seven facilitators of suicide attacks on Christian Colony Peshawar and District Courts Mardan have been arrested.

Asim Saleem Bajwa said both the terrorist attacks were planned in Afghanistan and the suicide bombers entered Pakistan from Afghan soil.

He said the information about terrorist attacks have been shared with the International Security Assistance Force, the Afghan government, army and intelligence.

The DG ISPR said security forces have established twenty check posts along the Pak- Afghan border to control cross border movement of terrorists.

To a question, he said the return of Temporarily Displaced Persons of FATA will be completed by November this year.

He said so far seventy-five percent TDPs have gone back to their native areas and the reconstruction and rehabilitation is also in progress.

LATEST, PAKISTAN

SAARC countries express resolve to work collectively to find out causes of corruption

Aside September 28, 2016 TAUQEER RIAZ

ISLAMABAD: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries have resolved to work collectively to find out the causes of corruption in the region and identify the ways to reduce and eradicate corruption from the regional countries.

The resolve was made in the joint statement issued on conclusion of the two-day meeting of the representatives of the Anti-Corruption Authorities of SAARC member states in Islamabad. The members agreed to share the experiences, tools and techniques among the SAARC-member states to identity the corruption and corrupt practices and their eradication from the South Asian region.

They acknowledged the need for creating a SAARC Anti-Corruption Forum to interact on regular basis for deliberating anti-corruption issues and other areas of mutual cooperation in this regard.

The SAARC member states also agreed for joint efforts at SAARC platform for creating public awareness among the masses in South Asia. It was proposed that programmes should be initiated for the capacity building of the personnel of the Anti-Corruption Authorities of the SAARC member states.

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

Blocking Raiwind March will be a huge mistake: Khan

Aside September 28, 2016 TAUQEER RIAZ

ISLAMABAD: PTI chief Imran Khan has said government will not be able to face reaction if it tries to impede Raiwind march.

“All the parties are united on Panama leaks. If hindrances are created on the way to Raiwind March then government will not be able to face its reaction”, he said this while talking to media men here at Banni Gala Monday.

Pakistan constitution gives the right to stage peaceful protest. We will stage our every protest within the parameters of constitution, he added.

The more the corruption, the more the poverty . Our labourer and farmer are being crushed, he said.

To a question PTI chief said he respects Justice (Retd) Wajid ud Din. However he has every right to form his new party, he added. .

On the other hand Punjab law minister Rana Sana Ullah while announcing to provide fool proof security to Raiwind March has said whosoever wants to go to Raiwind from all over Punjab will be taken there. We are ready to provide fare and conveyance if some one has no fare, he added. Imran Khan had alone moved and he would be left along, he remarked.

He directed that no PML-N worker should come on the way to Raiwind March.