'Do not sell Pakistan': PML-N leader lambasts Imran govt over mini-budget in Islamabad

Lambasting the Imran Khan government over the mini-budget, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif has said that the country's central bank's control is being given to the International Monetary Fund, adding, "do not sell Pakistan", a media report said.

"You are giving State Bank of Pakistan's control to IMF. Please have mercy on the people of Pakistan. Do not sell Pakistan. You allowed people to loot the country for three years," Dawn quoted Asif as saying in the National Assembly.

His comments came after the government tabled the mini-budget in the assembly.

The Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2021 -- or the mini-budget as the opposition calls it -- was tabled in Pakistan's National Assembly on Thursday by Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin. The tabling of the bill witnessed massive uproar from the opposition benches.

The approval of the bill is necessary to ensure Pakistan's sixth review of the USD 6 billion Extended Fund Facility gets cleared by the International Monetary Fund's executive board on January 12, paving the way for the disbursement of about USD 1bn tranche, said Dawn.

The bill allows an increase in taxes in various sectors. According to the bill, the proposal's includes, 17 per cent uniform sales tax will be imposed on mobile phones, an increase in the tax on imported electric vehicles from five per cent to 17 per cent, increasing the tax on packed dairy products from 10 per cent to 17 per cent, withdrawal of tax exemption on sugarcane and many others, reported Dawn.

( With inputs from ANI )

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