Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Shahbaz Sharif Breaking the begging bowl

The Frontier Post

The Pakistan Muslim League-N government in Punjab has decided not to take foreign loans for the province’s economic restructuring and its Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif told a news conference in Lahore on Monday that his party and the provincial cabinet had chosen an honourable way of living, breaking the begging bowl and depending on own resources to walk with head high among comity of nations. Claiming to be setting example for others to follow, the chief minister of the largest province said the refusal to accept foreign loans and aid might pose a short-term difficulty and some of the development projects might get delayed execution, but the damage can be controlled by way of ‘sacrifices’ of the people, particularly the elite classes. He said trade and not aid would be his government’s commitment that would strive for besides insistence on respectability of mutual benefit with other nations as the only way forward to progress and development of the province and the country. Well said the younger Mian Sahib, this certainly is a resolve worth emulating. This is what the highest degree of self-esteem would think the like. But how a commoner would comprehend as to how and why the decision was taken by the provincial administrator first and then sought to seek consent of the chief of party in power; this is a big political anomaly and leaves many questions to answer.That is not all, there is something else and it falls squarely into the mischief of deceit. The Punjab’s ruling elite has concealed a vital fact from the people that the PML-N government has already obtained from the multilateral donors like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank a hefty amount of no less than Rs32.27 billion out of the donors’ commitment of around Rs40 billion by April 30 for budgetary support and development works during the fiscal 2010-11. This is the height of tenacious delusion of a politician who has been and continues to thrive on doggedness. Breaking the begging bowl has been a slogan that the Sharifs yelled aloud long ago and what we see at the end of all their governments, we see the country plunging further deep down in foreign debts. For example, Nawaz Sharif received one of the highest IMF assistance of $13 billion during his first stint as prime minister. This is a matter of record, and what a record, that the elder Mian Sahib pays an annual tax of Rs5,000 on his entire income coming from the industries in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that proudly lists him and his family among the 20 richest persons of Pakistan after Mian Mohammad Mansha (assets $2.5 billion), President Asif Ali Zardari (assets $1.8 billion), Sir Anwer Pervaiz, of Bestway group of companies, a Pakistani national in UK (assets $1.5 billion). The Sharifs’ total assets in and out of Pakistan are believed to be worth $1.3 billion and their palatial mansion at Raiwind alone stands at $5 million with its lush green sprawling lawns and orchards and a network of roads and pavements that a person can only see in his or her dreams.

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