KARACHI - The Muttahida Qaumi Movement announced that it would present a shadow budget for the year 2014-15, urging the federal government to take notice of its budget proposal.
Addressing a news conference here on Sunday, Dr Farooq Sattar said that the MQM would present its shadow budget for the year 2014-15 on June 5 in Islamabad, just before the federal government was scheduled to announce its annual budget. He said that since two years, the MQM`s Economic and Finance committee were presenting a shadow budget, while the current budget proposal will guarantee an end to economic problems including poverty, inflation, power outages and unemployment.
The MQM leader said that Karachi is a key city to the country’s economy, but many cities of the Sindh especially Karachi were ignored during the last five years. A shadow budget has been prepared as per the vision of MQM chief Altaf Hussain in which issues of the common people have been highlighted. He further informed that their comprehensive shadow budget, which has highlighted various problems of the people, is completely a people-friendly budget.
Around 60 to 70 per cent of the total tax is collected from the economical hub of the county which is overlooked by the rulers, he said adding Karachi should get 13 per cent share of the federal budget as per its massive population. He said they have been struggling to end the traditional and anti-people budget, and the MQM was the only political party that comes up with proposals before the budget is introduced.
MQM CONCERNED OVER ARREST OF WORKERS
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Coordination Committee has strongly condemned the unlawful arrests of workers from Korangi, Karachi by Rangers and expressed their fear that they might be killed extra judicially.
In a statement here on Sunday,the Committee has demanded that workers should be produced in a court if there are cases registered against them.
They deplored that despite assurances from the Federal govt and provincial government police and law-enforcement agencies were unlawfully arresting MQM workers.
“They take them to undisclosed locations and extract confessional statement by torture,” the Committee said.
“Law-enforcement agencies are killing MQM workers under the pretext of action against criminals. They are unlawfully arresting them and killing them extra judicially instead of producing them in courts.”
Terrorism, killings, and cases of extortion are growing at an alarming rate in the City. They are unlawfully arresting MQM workers instead of criminals and terrorists. Their action is highly condemnable,” the Committee said.
It expressed sympathies with the family members of unlawfully arrested workers and said they would use their Constitutional and legal rights and would knock the door of courts for the recovery of workers.
The Committee further demanded that Chief Justice, Prime Minister, Federal Interior Minister, Governor Sindh and DG Rangers should take notice of the unlawful arrest of MQM workers.