Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, has made a startling revelation regarding a bureaucrat’s daughters’ weddings.
While standing on the floor of the National Assembly, the Minister claimed that an astounding amount of $2.8 million was received in salami at the wedding of a BS-21 officer.
According to the Minister, the same bureaucrat’s first daughter also received a staggering $4.6 million in salami at her wedding. The Minister lamented that no one has ever questioned the officer about his sources of income.
These claims have caused a stir, but the media has not been able to independently verify the accuracy of the Minister’s statements or the identity of the bureaucrat in question. It remains to be seen whether any action will be taken against the bureaucrat.
The Minister’s account presented in the Parliament exemplifies the opulent lifestyles of the affluent and powerful, and the growing gap between the privileged and underprivileged in Pakistan, which grapples with entrenched economic inequality in terms of income and wealth.
This assertion coincides with a period when Pakistan is facing one of the most severe financial predicaments, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is urging the country to terminate subsidies and impose higher taxes on the wealthy to resume a halted $6.5 billion loan program.
IMF’s Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva stated the tax revenue obtained from Pakistan’s elite must be expended on those who require the government’s aid the most, asking why the prosperous should profit from subsidies while not contributing in the face of significant difficulties.
Via: Tribune
