Daily Times

PPP senior leader Senator A Rehman Malik in his budget speech on Wednesday expressed great grief over the loss of precious lives because of coronavirus and expressed sympathies with their bereaved families.

He wished that Prime Minister Imran Khan should have attended the Senate session and listened to us. He said today our major issue is to fight COVID-19 but sadly government didn’t do what it should have done against coronavirus which is evident from the budget allocation for health sector especially to fight this deadly virus.

Referring to findings of Imperial College London, he said that the college has given horrifying predictions about Pakistan that there can be 20-80 thousand deaths per day in August in Pakistan due to coronavirus (God forbid). He said that it is all because that we couldn’t implement SOPs against Coronavirus and never imposed proper lockdown.

He said that SOPs can never be implemented through begging the people but by force of law and for that reason since day first he has been urging the Prime Minister to impose limited curfew under Pakistan Army to ensure the implementation of SOPs. He said that he was not scaring people but telling the correct findings as the estimated figures given to UK and US by this college has already proved true. He said that the government should have allocated minimum Rs 200 billion to combat coronavirus which is increasing by every day. He said that government should establish temporary hospitals fully equipped to accommodate all the patients in upcoming days. He said the salaries of doctors and paramedics must be increased.

He said if Coronavirus continues to increase with the same ratio, soon we will see people on the streets agitating. He advised if Prime Minister wants to stop the further spread of Coronavirus, then immediately impose a limited curfew under the supervision of Army. He said that the government’s entire focus is on urban areas, while the majority of our population lives in rural areas so it is needed to give equal preference to both. He said that unfortunately our people are being deported from abroad but those foreigners whose Pakistani visas have already expired are being extended despite that international flights are opened.

Senator A. Rehman Malik in his speech expressed that because of IMF loans we will always remain in debt and our next four budgets of this government will be in debt adding that it is unfortunate that we don’t tap our resources but run towards IMF. He said that he has written 3 letters to PM Imran for invoking Force Majeure clause but despite of my many requests we again fall in the trap of IMF. He said that IMF is going nowhere so what if we do not follow and delay in paying back. He said that even if the IMF take us to court, we will win as there is law of Force Majeure of which we can take full advantage in this time of pandemic.

Senator A. Rehman Malik said it is important to note that our civil aviation does not meet international standards and government should allocate funds for improvement in the Aviation Sector and to upgrade Airports all over the country. He said that Pakistan is an agricultural country but the government is stingy in giving money to the agriculture sector. He said that government has allocated only Rs.50 billion under Corona Stimulus Package for fertilizer subsidy, loan remissions and other relief to the farmers, which may be enhanced to Rs.100 billion. He suggested that a Special Tax Relief Package should be given for agriculture i.e. wheat crops and livestock, dairy farming etc. to provide relieve to small farmers.

He said that as due to pandemic all industries and businesses are closed therefore we must pay special attention to agriculture. He expressed that if we pay proper attention to agriculture, we can end poverty and unemployment as well as the threat of food shortages. He said that since there is no doubt that COVID19 has hit hard to every family of this country, middle class and lower middle class and small businessmen are being crushed and it is total injustice not to increase the salaries of the government servants including military, judiciary and particularly the doctors and paramedical. He advised that Pakistan Baitulmal should be responsible for free tests of poor coronavirus patients on urgent basis.