Hafiz Pasha at #AJCONF pointing out the value of DHAs in 8 cities in Pakistan is $10 billion. Also mentions the concentration of agricultural land in the hands of a few, the extremely low tax contribution of the elite, & the extreme marginalisation of Balochistan.
Hafiz Pasha also says the elite benefit from 1. Tax breaks 2. Lower input posts 3. Higher output prices for monopolies 4. Privileged access to land 5. Access to capital. This amounts to 2000 billion rupees of privileges for the elite. #AJCONF
Apparently they were barred from publishing provincial data (by who? I think we know) because they didn’t want people to see the extent of marginalisation & inequality in the country particularly of Balochistan & then KP. #AJCONF
Kaiser Bengali points out the regressive tax system, which places the burden of tax on the middle classes & poor, inter-provincial inequality, gender inequality. Says there are 2 Pakistans: the elite & the awaam. Within the elite, there are 2 elites: civilian & military. #AJCONF
Kaiser Bengali talks about the lack of public transport which affects women the most, the education apartheid, the creation of 7 star hospitals for the rich & lack of healthcare for the poor. Rich going on intl holidays while the poor can’t afford social gatherings. #AJCONF
And all of this, according to Kaiser Bengali, is because of the increasing neoliberalisation of the economy, which was present since Pakistan was formed but which has accelerated over the last two decades. #AJCONF
Shahid Kardar, the most conservative voice on the panel, talks about ‘natural inequality’ & the need for meritocracy. Pushes the idea that the govt should play a role of promoting competition & the free market. Blames a rent-seeking elite but doesn’t mention exactly who. #AJCONF
Hafiz Pasha continues in q&a about the lack of labour rights & protections. 53% of workers do not get the minimum wage & less than 5% of labour force is unionised. He points out that there is no negative correlation between economic growth & labour rights. #AJCONF
Kaiser Bengali talks about the link between inequality & democracy. The less democratic a country is, the more the powerful will protect their interests. Also talks about the need for cooperation between various rights mvts. ‘The battle will take place on the streets.’ #AJCONF
Hafiz Pasha talks about the need for land reform which stopped in the 70s & the need to reform the tax system, which provides exemptions to the rich which cost the country 1500-1600 billion rupees in revenue—money that could be put towards social spending. #AJCONF
Kaiser Bengali talks about being on a sinking ship in which the rich have built cabins in the form of DHAs & Bahria Towns. Don’t they realise that when the ship sinks, their cabins will too? He guesses that they might be relying on their foreign passports to save them. #AJCONF
Kaiser Bengali says that this is a predatory state with no interest in justice. Until we overthrow the current state & replace it with a new one, nothing will improve. In fact, things will only get worse. #AJCONF
