PTI chief Imran Khan at a press conference in Peshawar, as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Pervez Khattak watches on. PHOTO: PPI
ISLAMABAD:
In a move to restore his party’s popularity, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan has urged chief minister Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to put an end to all discretionary funds, disbursed by taxes.
In a letter written to Pervez Khattak, Imran stated that the chief minister should stop the release of discretionary funds for himself and other ministers and bureaucrats.
The decision comes after Imran’s speech in the National Assembly on Tuesday where the PTI chief deemed tax evasion and poor tax collection to be the stumbling blocks in the way of the country’s progress.
Another reason cited for the decision is the demand put forward by disgruntled party MPAs who accused provincial cabinet members of misusing the discretionary funds. The members demanded that a ban was necessary to discourage this practice. “One of the members of the cabinet also transferred discretionary funds to his personal account,” a party member told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity.
The disgruntled members ended their protest after Imran’s assurances to take action against the erring members and ban the discretionary funds.
Another party member revealed that Imran in the letter had stressed that every rupee spent by the government should be audited for greater transparency and accountability in governance.
Imran hoped that PTI would lead the K-P in an exemplary way for other provinces to follow suit.
It was the impact of PTI chief’s fiery speech that forced the treasury benches to support a motion moved by the PTI’s MNA Asad Umar seeking the consent to investigate parliamentarians who evade tax details.
The Supreme Court has already discouraged the use of discretionary funds in former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s case. The incumbent government has sought a review over the decision.
In his address on Tuesday, Imran blamed the government of introducing tax reforms 11 months after assuming power.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2014.
COMMENTS (7)
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"..... restore his party’s popularity " WTH? It was never gone...Yellow journalism much?
@Adnan Siddiqi: Isnt that what was just demanded. special audit of ALL parliamentarians.
He is Pakistan Khan after all. Love you IK.
As for investigation of tax details.....I wish that instead of delivering a fiery speech, IK and Asad Umar should have asked their own CM in KPK to clear his name as being a certified tax evader.
Is there a possibility that we will hear the same thing happening in other provinces? I don't think so. Where are PML-N supporters BTW.....
I am thinking that if there would have been presidential system in Pakistan and Imran Khan as its President could have done very much good for the country. There are limitations in the Parliamentry system though that he could not even dom much about his own ministers in KP. He can only advice but can not force them to do so.
As much as I hate this man, i hate to admit he is the only one forcing accountability and is willing take on the powerful parasites that thrive on our tax money.