LONDON: 22ND NOVEMBER 2010:
The Founder and Leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Mr Altaf Hussain has affirmed that MQM will not endorse any step that goes against the interest of the people. He said that as against the common definition of democracy being a “government of the people, by the people and for the people” unfortunately in Pakistan it is for the big landlords, hoarders, corrupts and sugar mafia. Mr Altaf Hussain said this while talking to the members of Co-ordination Committee in London and Karachi. He said that the pressure from the IMF, World Bank and other international powers for imposing Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) was against ground realities. He questioned as to why these powers do not ask the government to expend the tax net and bring the income of big landlords whose income has never been taxed. He decried the fact that the salaried class that is already struggling with increasing tax burdens was once again being forced with additional tax burden.
Mr Altaf Hussain asked about the number of people on high positions and leaders of political parties who paid their tax. “If these people do not pay taxes themselves then why the masses are being asked to pay additional tax?” He said that the Supreme Court had fixed the price of sugar as Rs 40 per kilogram but the order of the Supreme Court was not implemented and the price of sugar soared to Rs 125 per kilogram. “Why the ill-gotten wealth is not being taken from the sugar mafia that manipulated the price of sugar and made profits of billions of rupees?”
He regretted that the concept of democracy has degenerated in Pakistan and it was serving the interests of feudal lords, landlords, hoarders, and utterly corrupt people. He said that it was because of the dual policies and standards that the capitalist system is dying like the socialist system that collapsed because of serious mistakes. He said that the world was looking for a system on the principles of realism and practicalism.