OPIF recommended Reforms.
By: Tarique Khan Javed
President, Overseas Pakistani Investors Forum.
Dated 15 Dec 2010
OPIF on behalf of 8mio Overseas Pakistanis who remit USD 12 billion annually and are ready to comeback with their USD 1,000 billion savings, connections and experience provided conducive atmosphere is created, recommend following Reforms on urgent basis.
These Reforms will eliminate injustice, rapidly alleviate poverty and bring lasting peace:
- Redistribute land at the rate of 2 acres per family and impose maximum land owning ceiling at 20 acres.
- Regularize within 6 months all Katchi Abadies and Goths in towns and cities, which have been in existence since 2005.
- SPB should stop lending to the Government and demand immediate repayment of Rs 1,500 billion loan.
- Introduce Wealth Tax of 2%, Inheritance Tax of 50% and Agriculture Tax income above Rs 3 lacs pa and eliminate all indirect taxes on goods and services used by common man.
- Close 50% Ministries and Government Depts. Devolve all remaining Ministries to Provincial Governments except Foreign Affairs, Defense, Communication and SBP.
- Introduce Nigerian type Courts and 3 shift working of Courts to clear the current backlog of 19 lacs cases.
- Relax society by removing laws like Hadood Ordinance to bring Pakistan at par with other Muslim countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, UAE, Bahrain etc. Let people have choice.
- Make peace with India and implement SAFTA agreement and work on larger agenda of SAARC movement including Common currency.
- Divide Baluchistan into 4, Punjab into 3, KP into 2 and Sindh into 2 provinces.
- Create Six Free Economic Zones on Chinese Model to attract of USD 1.6 trillion funds of Pakistanis lying in Swiss and other Offshore Banks. USD 1 trillion savings of Overseas Pakistan will be best invested in such Zones, as was done by Overseas Chinese. This will ensure minimum wage of Rs 25,000 in such Zones were so much labour demand would be generated that there will be no more unemployment..
- Remove all restriction on Sovereignty of Parliaments imposed during Zia’s Rule so that people friendly laws can be made and real democracy established.
- Remove all Military establishments from Town and Cities. Land vacated to be auctioned to generate estimated Rs 50 trillion out of which Rs 9 trillion to be used to settle all Local and International Government Debt, 8 trillion to build new Military bases, Rs 5 trillion each for: a) Provision of Clean water, b) Provision of 2200 calorie daily to the starving c) Provision of modern Education d) Provision of preventive and Basic Healthcare e) Provision of 60 yds house in cities and 2 acres land in village to the land less. The remaining Rs 8 trillion to be kept in deposit to take care of all future military expenses.
Tarique Khan Javed (NIC 42201-9962179-9)
President, Overseas Pakistani Investors Forum
A-10, Jumani Arcade, University Road. Karachi
Ph:3494-7360,3493-9241, Mob 0300-923-2476
www.tariquekj.com
