Foreign remittances, volume of trade and award of contracts by Indians based in UAE and Saudi Arabia to their country of origin, far exceed total money remitted through regular channels by Pakistanis or trade and contracts owned by them. The investment by Indians, in UAE, does not involve its ruling elite but is dominated by businessmen, while in Pakistan it is monopolized by members of corrupt ruling elite and bureaucracy, who earn in Pakistan, pay no taxes and transfer their black money abroad. No Indian politician who aspires for any constitutional elected public office can dream to own, in his name or in the name of his family, palatial villas in Emirates Hills, Palm Peach Jumeirah, Burj Khaleefa or multi storied buildings on Sheikh Zahed Road such as HDS Business Centre, or anywhere else in Europe, USA, Canada, Australia or Far East.
Indian Constitution does not allow any Indian to hold dual nationality, nor does Indian Election Commission allow any prospective election candidate to own properties outside India, either in his name or in the name of his family, unless such an investment is authorized by Indian Internal Revenue Board and Govt of India, after payment of taxes.
In any case annual foreign remittance by Pakistani workers, based in UAE is in range of $3.6 billion, whereas according to sources $4.5 billion was shifted from Pakistan, by corrupt elite for investment in Emirates in 2014. This illegal reverse flow of foreign exchange, from Pakistan to UAE and from there to other countries, takes place regularly, through four major international airports in Pakistan and through illegal large smuggling boats along Pakistan’s coastal belt with connivance of security, custom and coast guards deputed there to stop this illegality. More than Emiratis to be blamed, it is the local Pakistani facilitators and estate managers involved in brutal export of slave, minor children as camel riders, because neither Indians nor Sri Lankans would have obliged.
ALI MALIK TARIQ,
Lahore, April 18.