The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief, Syed Munawar Hasan, has called for 100 percent pay raise for government employees in the next budget along with cut in non-development expenditure and recovery of taxes from the 'bigwigs'. In a statement, here on Thursday, Munawar also demanded pulling out of the US war on terror that had crippled the country's economy, and adoption of the policy of self-reliance to dispense with IMF and World Bank loans.
He noted there has been threefold increase in the prices of essentials during the three years of the present government and the masses are finding it hard to meet both ends meet and pay utilities bills, while the ruling elite are squandering public money with both hands. He said last three years' period had witnessed unprecedented price hike and massive unemployment due to the closure of industrial units because of load-shedding. The country's agriculture had also been ruined due to shortage of irrigation water and high prices of farm inputs.
He also condemned frequent raise in the POL prices and demanded slashing these to provide reasonable relief to the masses and cutting down cost of production.
The JI chief called for taking solid measures to control load-shedding of electricity and gas to set the industrial wheel in motion and solve unemployment problem. Fresh job opportunities should be created in the government sector and youths should be provided interest free loans to enable them stand on their own feet. The budget allocation for education and research must be raised considerably, he added.
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