Since Imran Khan has repeatedly said that he wants to make Pakistan into a welfare state on the pattern of Madina, perhaps he would be interested to know what happened there when the Holy Prophet (SAW) asked for donations before the battle of Tabuk. This is how his Companions responded:
Hazrat Umar (RA) brought half of his property to the Prophet (SAW).
The Messenger of God asked, “O Umar! What did you leave to your family?”
He said, “As much as I brought to you.”
Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) gave all of his property, which amounted to four thousand dirhams of silver to the Prophet (SAW).
The Prophet said, “O Abu Bakr! What did you leave to your family?”
He said, “I left God and His Messenger to them”.
Hazrat Usman (RA) gave three hundred camels with goods on them to the Messenger of God. He also gave fifty horses and one thousand coins of gold.
This, was the spirit which made Madina into a successful state.
So, if Mr. Imran Khan really wants to turn Pakistan into an economic power, he can do it by emulating the people who lived in Madina in those days. He owns a huge mansion in Bani Gala which is built on three hundred kanals (one hundred and fifty thousand square yards), when most Pakistanis exist on two hundred square yards or even less. He should set an example and donate the mansion and the garden to the government, which can sell it.
In the state of Madina, no one was exempted from the payment of taxes, whilst in Pakistan, there are people who have never paid any sort of tax despite being rich beyond measure
Then there are his cronies. Jehangir Khan Tareen can sell two of his sugar mills (out of four) and donate the amounts received to the state. He can also return the millions he got written off in past years. There are others who have acquired immense wealth, like Faisal Vawda and Aleem Khan. Should they not do their bit, should they not also help the government in its hour of need?
And while we are at it, perhaps Mr. Imran Khan might be interested to know that in the state of Madina, no one was above the law. Neither the Khalifa nor the Qazi were immune from prosecution if they had been found to be negligent or having committed a crime. So Imran Khan should remove the clause which gives immunity to the president. Moreover, Imran opposed the immunity enjoyed by president Zardari, thus there is no reason to exempt President Arif Alvi from prosecution if need be.
Furthermore, in the state of Madina, no one was exempted from the payment of taxes, whilst in Pakistan, there are people who have never paid an sort of tax despite being rich beyond measure. Not only that, they even pressuirse banks to write off their loans.
The other category of tax evaders are smugglers who have damaged the country immensely. If the government enforces checks on imports, they can earn a lot of revenue. Cloth, crockery, cutlery, electronic goods, etc are sold without payment of customs duty or sales taxes. Half the revenue required by the government can be obtained by bringing smugglers into the tax net.
These are only a few steps that Imran Khan can take to turn Pakistan into an economic power. It is for him to choose whether he wants to be remembered as a wise ruler or like those who came before him.
The writer is an engineer and was a lecturer at NED Engineering College. He tweets @shakirlakhani
Published in Daily Times, September 15th 2018.