ISLAMABAD, Dec 30 (APP):Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Thursday said, the amendments in the Finance Bill-2021, were aimed at documenting the national economy.
Talking to media along with Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin, he rejected the undue criticism of opposition parties on the proposed amendments.
“it was not for the first time that such amendments have been brought in the Parliament. Opposition’s is unnecessarily exaggerating and making hue and cry over them.” he said.
Farrukh said, Pakistan People Parties (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PPP), during their tenures, had approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for nine and four times respectively therefore the agitation of opposition in the House was not justified.
“The PPP government had taken the IMF’s biggest $9 billion programme.” he added.
He said, at the time when the country had only 15 days’ foreign exchange reserve for payment, the PML-N government had left about $20 billion current account deficit because of the then Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s economic policies which had destroyed the national economy.
Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Ministry of Finance, he said, had tried not to pass any extra burden on the poor segments of the society.
He asked the opposition parties to give their point of view on the proposed amendments on floor of the House, with convincing arguments.
He regretted that opposition had turned the house into a fish market.
He said that it was unfortunate that top leadership of PPP and PML-N including Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif were absent from the House on such importance day.
“They are used to talk in closed rooms and make tall claims but when there is any issue related to masses, they disappear.” he said.
