- Sh Waqas demands accountability of tax-evading ‘sugar barons, abettors’
- Says return of PTI’s stolen mandate and release of Khan a must to save country
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lashed out at the imposed government for bringing the country’s economic wheel to a grinding halt, turning the lives of the rank and file into a living hell.
PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram, in a statement on Wednesday, said that due to the Form-47 regime’s shortsightedness and self-serving approach—coupled with the incompetence and apathy of the imported finance minister—they have led to the imposition of oppressive taxes on the public, further squeezing them and compounding their hardships.
Similarly, he highlighted that at the same time, development spending had to be slashed in the upcoming budget due to severe fiscal constraints, which, he warned, would further deepen the cycles of poverty and unemployment.
Waqas added that, like the rest of the ruling elite, the finance minister had no concern for public welfare, as he was brought in from abroad with a specific agenda and would leave the country on the first available flight after losing his position—just as his predecessors did. Therefore, he stressed, the ruling class is utterly indifferent to the suffering of the people.
He warned that these worsening socioeconomic conditions could fuel extremism and terrorism—further destabilizing the security landscape and forcing the country to divert even more scarce resources to safeguard national sovereignty and prevent economic collapse.
Despite this alarming situation, Waqas lambasted the compromised regime for shamelessly inflating expenditures to fund the extravagant lifestyles of the presidency and Prime Minister House. He pointed out the significant hike in salaries and privileges for the Speaker, Senate Chairman, and MPs, while no meaningful steps were taken to ease public suffering. Instead, he said, the elite-serving regime has worsened hardships by taxing online private jobs, further burdening the already struggling youth.
PTI CIS highlighted that the gravity of the situation can be gauged from the alarming fact that 42% of Pakistanis—over 105 million people—are surviving on less than $3.65 a day, or just over Rs1,000. He added that, according to the World Food Programme, Pakistan ranked 109th out of 127 countries in the 2024 Global Hunger Index.
PTI CIS stated that the unlawfully incarcerated PTI Patron-in-Chief, Imran Khan, strongly condemned the recent drone strikes in the tribal districts, vowing that he would never tolerate such attacks come what may. He asserted that drone attacks were always counterproductive, as they fueled militancy and terrorism rather than curbing it. He recalled that during PTI’s tenure, not a single drone strike occurred anywhere in the country.
PTI CIS expressed alarm over the government’s continued neglect of the long-suffering, militancy-stricken tribal areas. He said that despite the alarming upsurge in instability, the government has failed to honour its commitment of allocating Rs100 billion annually for the development of the region—a clear indication of its lack of seriousness in bringing peace and progress to one of the most volatile and underdeveloped parts of the country.
He demanded that the annual commitment of Rs. 100 billion, along with the promised inclusion of the tribal areas in the NFC Award, must be fulfilled without further delay. PTI CIS came down hard on the government for deliberately creating the sugar crisis to benefit powerful sugar barons. He said the regime was either utterly incapable of understanding the basic principles of economics or blindly driven by its vested interests.
He noted that the government exported and sold nearly 750,000 metric tonnes of sugar in the international market, only to announce the import of the same quantity within the same fiscal year—a move that has led to a sharp spike in domestic prices, directly benefitting sugar mill owners.
He described such lopsided and self-serving decisions as criminal, demanding a full-scale investigation and strict accountability. “This gimmick has pushed the price of sugar to Rs190 per kilogram—a staggering Rs50 increase compared to the pre-export rate,” he added.
He also demanded immediate action against eight sugar mills, many owned by influential political figures, which were found involved in tax evasion worth billions of rupees, along with their abettors and facilitators. He questioned why criminal proceedings had not yet been initiated against these mills and vowed that PTI would not allow the matter to be swept under the rug. The party, he said, will ensure that those involved in tax evasion are held accountable and given exemplary punishment so no one dares to commit such economic crimes in the future.
Waqas made it clear that Pakistan’s crisis is not insurmountable; however, addressing it demands selfless leadership, a clear vision, unwavering political will, a genuine public mandate, foresight, and passion—qualities that are, regrettably, sorely lacking in the current ruling elite.
Therefore, PTI CIS reiterated that the PTI stolen mandate must be restored, and the unlawfully incarcerated PTI Patron-in-Chief, along with other political prisoners, should be released immediately, as only he possessed the leadership and vision necessary to pull the country out of the current crisis.
