• Defense Minister warns that each Muslim country could become an objective if Ummah does not act together
• Asad Qaiser says it is Pakistan’s moral duty to support Iran
Islamabad: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, on Saturday asked the organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to celebrate an emergency meeting to draw a joint strategy following the continuous aggression of Israel, warning that if the Muslim UMMAH does not join, the turn of each Muslim country will come.
“The way Israel has attacked Yemen, Iran and Palestine shows a larger game plan,” he said as he spoke in the National Assembly.
The comments occurred when another war in the Middle East has caused a global agitation. The Minister of Defense said that most Muslim nations already faced security risks.
“Strong leadership is needed now,” he said and described the brutal actions of Israel, particularly his military aggression against Iran as a serious threat to regional and global peace.
Lamenting the apathy of the Muslim world for aggression in Palestine, where even children were being brutally killed, he said there were more protests in non -Muslim countries than in Muslim nations. He assured that Pakistan is firmly with Iran and will continue to support him in all international forums.
The defense minister said that while Pakistan’s military force was commendable, the economy must also be strong.
Fiscal evasion
Asif said that the country undergoes large losses due to tax evasion, especially in sectors such as tobacco, real estate, steel and tires. “We lose around RS300 billion annually in taxes on tobacco alone,” he said, recognizing that the Federal Income Board (FBR) has made some improvements, but it is necessary to do much more.
“If we can improve our tax collection by 50 percent, we would not need foreign loans,” he said.
He demanded responsibility and urged the Ministry of Finance and the FBR to inform Parliament about the people behind large -scale tax evasion. “We need honesty in government. Only then can we provide real relief to people,” he said.
Mocking in PTI
The minister criticized those who now attack the government’s economic policy had once urged the IMF not to support Pakistan.
“These people tried to sabotage our economy,” he said. “Pakistan is not about any person. It is a mission, a belief and a shared story.”
He urged political leaders to overcome personal ambitions and serve the Nation with sincerity.
‘Stand by Iran’
The former president of the National Assembly and leader of PTI Asad Qaiser in his speech while referring to the Israeli attack against Iran said: “It is our moral obligation to support Iran in this critical moment.”
He also said that Israel has committed the worst atrocities against the Palestinians, not avoiding children, women, elders or hospitals and schools. He regretted the criminal silence of the international community, particularly of human rights organizations and the so -called democratic states.
“However, the most disappointing is the deafening silence of the Muslim UMMA,” he said and demanded that the government immediately initiate diplomatic efforts to convene an emergency session of the organization of Islamic cooperation.
Discussing financial ‘injustices’ with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said: “After Fata fusion, the participation of the province’s NFC award should have increased from 14 % to 19 percent, but there has been no substantial progress.
During his visit to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had affirmed that an additional allocation of 1 PC was assigned for areas affected by terrorism.
However, the agreed annual participation of the province of 4.84pc, which amounts to RS381BN, has not yet been revealed, Qaider recalled.
In addition, the amount of Hydel’s gain due to the province has also been retained.
“It’s all this just because KP’s people voted for PTI,” he asked.
He said the current government has allocated RS550m for the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) throughout the province.
“We are demanding our constitutional rights, and if the situation remains unchanged, we will organize a sitting on the highway with our people.” He warned.
‘Discrepancy’
Expressing his views, the Syed Naveed Qamar of PPP declared that there is a clear contradiction between the public statements made by the prime minister and the members of the cabinet and the figures presented in the budget documents.
He said that although government officials insist that agriculture is the backbone of the country’s economy, there is nothing for this vital sector, which guarantees food security.
“Do you want to depend on imports to meet the country’s food needs?” He questioned.
In her comments, the leader of the PPP, Sharmila Farooqui, questioned the powers given to the FBR to arrest people without prior notice.
He pointed out that external debts continue to accumulate, but more than 100 entities had received relief in taxes.
Posted in Dawn, June 15, 2025
