KARACHI(National Times)- Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has demanded that Karachi\u2019s Rs450 billion share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award be transferred directly to the city in the next fiscal year instead of being routed through the Sindh government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Presenting the party\u2019s shadow budget alongside business leaders and colleagues on Wednesday, senior MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar said it was time to devise a fair mechanism for the distribution of financial resources among major cities, other urban centres and rural districts, based on their respective contributions to national revenue, population size and the specific needs of their areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe estimate that Sindh is expected to receive around Rs2,100 billion from the Centre in the next fiscal year under its NFC share. Of the Rs2,100bn allocated under the NFC Award, Karachi\u2019s share amounts to approximately Rs450 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe believe these funds should be transferred directly to Karachi by the federal government, rather than being routed through the Sindh government. The same principle should apply to other urban centres and districts as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Constitution grants this authority to the President and the Prime Minister. This is clearly stated in Article 107, Clause (2), Sub-Clause (b) of the Constitution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He strongly criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party\u2019s (PPP) 18-year rule in Sindh, holding the party responsible for governance failures and demanding an explanation of how the substantial funds the provincial government has received from the federal government over the years were spent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe people of this province want to know where the Rs25,000bn received over the past 18 years was spent and how those funds were utilised,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe [Karachiites] may have been treated as stepchildren, but the government should also tell the people of Dadu, Thatta, Jacobabad and Larkana what they have received in return. So it\u2019s not about political point scoring; it\u2019s about justified distribution of resources as per requirement and contribution of the areas\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the MQM-P in its shadow budget had proposed 10 major interventions and six policy pillars aimed at reducing the budget deficit while increasing government revenues. He said that the party was advocating for increased tax collection from large industrialists and wealthy landowners rather than placing additional burdens on ordinary citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The MQM-P leader called for the immediate abolition of the petroleum levy, describing it as an extra burden on the common man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said that Pakistan\u2019s economic sovereignty was a matter of national survival and criticised \u201can unequal taxation system\u201d. The urban areas, he said, face significant tax burdens while northern regions enjoy tax exemptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Highlighting disparities in the tax structure, he noted that school teachers earning between Rs60,000 and Rs70,000 per month are paying income tax, whereas large landowners contribute little or no tax revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also stressed the need for greater representation of workers and the middle class in the parliament, arguing that educated young people should represent farmers, labourers and middle-income groups instead of wealthy elites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The MQM leader said Pakistan must focus on improving water resources, energy production, electricity and gas infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To a question, he proposed replacing the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) with a \u201cBenazir Income Generation Programme\u201d focused on creating sustainable earning opportunities instead of making people rely on government funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Sattar also urged the State Bank of Pakistan to lower the policy rate, saying the MQM\u2019s shadow budget had been designed as a people-friendly financial plan for the country\u2019s 250 million people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KARACHI(National Times)- Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has demanded that Karachi\u2019s Rs450 billion share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award be transferred directly to the city in the next fiscal year instead of being routed through the Sindh government. Presenting the party\u2019s shadow budget alongside business leaders and colleagues on Wednesday, senior MQM-P leader Dr […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n