KARACHI:Prominent business figure and Managing Director, Indus Pharma Zahid Saeed has said the even after 73 years of our independence, we are still unaware of the how to collect taxes and ensure its proper utilization.
“Pakistan is the only country where education budget is spent on construction of roads while health sector allocation goes to the payment of circular debt. It is also a matter of great concern that for the last 30 years, there are only five important export sectors and we are failed to add more sectors like Pharmaceutical, Computer Software,” he stated while addressing a seminar on IMF and Pakistan’s economics as chief guest which was organized by Finance and Economics Department, Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Karachi (MAJ U).
Those who also spoke on this topic were President, Baluchistan Economics Forum, Sardar Shoukat Popalzai, Associate Professor, Economics Department, Karachi University, Dr. Nooreen Mujahid, Assistant Professor, Finance and Economics Department, MAJ U Dr. Rizwan Ul Hassan and Veteran T.V. anchor Ali Nasir.
While addressing the seminar, Zahid Saeed highlighted the lack of vision in our national leadership and the relative subjective approach to solve the economic problems. He also pointed out shortcomings of the leadership while managing the deteriorated economic conditions and was not impressed with their performance, however admitted sincerity of leadership.
Sardar Shoukat Popalzai said: “Now we think that IMF is everything for us, our national development planning and policy making responsibilities have been handed over to IMF which is very dangerous for our independence and sovereignty of the country.”
He also discussed the relative naive attitude of government in approaching economic issues of the country presently. He also highlighted present economic scenario of Baluchistan. Dr. Nooreen Mujahid discussed various aspects associated with the working of the IMF and performance of the present government. She defended government’s economic policies with the pretext that the team is new and they would be able to deliver in couple of years.