KARACHI: 17TH NOVEMBER 2010
The Founder and Leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement has categorically said that the poor people will not pay any Flood Surcharge or Reformed General Sales Tax unless the agricultural income of landlords are brought under tax net and rich and privileged people who avoid taxes are made to pay taxes according to their actual financial assets. Mr Altaf Hussain made this unequivocal statement while addressing a large number of MQM workers, KKF volunteers and office-bearers of various wings of MQM. “Poor and middle class people would pay Flood Surcharge and Reformed General Sales Tax for the economic betterment and prosperity of the country only if those who have accumulated assets worth billions of rupees, avoid paying taxes, must pay their taxes honestly”.
Mr Altaf Hussain questioned the logic of burdening the salaried people with even more taxes while giving concessions to the landlords and privilege people. He said that the inflation and prices were increasing with each passing day. “Sugar is scarce in the market and people are being advised to stop using sugar. Tomorrow they will ask to stop breathing as well.” He said that if the mills of the sugar mafia are impounded and those who had stashed looted wealth in foreign countries and have huge properties if were they to distribute their wealth among the poor, then the public would also stop consuming sugar.
Mr Altaf Hussain said that it was time that the people of Pakistan start thinking as to how long they would run after those who made the country a begging bowl. He said that if only the people left the political parties that had been tested time and again and raised leadership from within and supported MQM, then together they could break this begging bowl so that none could dictate Pakistan any more. He declared that MQM was the only way out if the unending corruption and making properties in foreign countries through ill-gotten wealth was to be stopped.
He said that MQM was portrayed as a party of Urdu Speaking people only but now people from Sindh, Punjab, KhaiberPakhtoonkhaw, Baluchistan, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit Batistan and other parts of the country were joining MQM in large numbers. “MQM has become a national political party that is representative of the poor and oppressed people of the country and we are confident that the peaceful struggle of the poor people will bring in a revolution in the country.”
Mr. Altaf Hussain blasted the abduction and torture of the journalists and threats to them. He vowed that MQM would not tolerate coercion of journalists and if any attempt was made to threaten or browbeat the journalist community then MQM would stand by the journalists like a rock and would not avoid any sacrifice from protecting the freedom of press. He paid tributes to those media persons who stood firm for truth and righteousness. He said that those who hurled accusations on the journalists as agents of India, USA and Israel were themselves the agents of India and Isreal and USA.
In the end he paid tributes to MQM workers and KKF volunteers who contributed in the collection of hides of sacrificial animals from the break of the dawn leaving aside the celebrations of Eid and praised their efforts for serving the humanity.