Governor State Bank Pakistan (SBP) Dr. Ishrat Hussain addressing a recent Seminar at US think-tank CSIS Washington on the above subject stated that most of the Governments avoid imposing taxes on elite and rich particularly attached with agriculture. He further stated that in these countries real benefit of government subsidies goes to the rich segments whereas the real benefactors of such subsidies and incentives should be the lower and poor. It was his opinion that societies and countries cannot progress unless there is a Collective Justice to the society.
He further stated in these governments appointments and postings are not on merit. On this point the senior respectable writer Mr. Irshad Ahmed Haqqani in his column well raised the question if Dr. Isharat includes his own government in the list of such countries mentioned in his speech.
Does Dr. Isharat really practically believes on Collective Justice for the society or he like a leader or a bureaucrat has just this philosophy on this issue? The organization which he heads is one which is like a guardian both for the government and for the society alike. Has he inducted his this concept of Collective Justice in his own organization? The answer lies only in one simple self speaking example.
Foreign currency accounts were seized by Nawaz Sharif Government. It was done for the larger good of the country. A seized account in which neither an account holder can deposit more funds nor could withdraw in simple language means the account for all practical purposes was “dead, dormant, closed, non operative for all intents and purposes under the bank/government order”. As these accounts were not accruing any profits on the deposits because the banks were taking the stand accounts were seized hence no further profit from the date of seizing. Well OK, fine. For the common man his account was like his premises sealed by a Magistrate hence no fear of any theft from the sealed house. But the same banks who were not giving any profit on the seized accounts, without the knowledge of account holders started (repeat started as a new levy) deducting service charges on these dead silent accounts with the result balance of some of the accounts with the passage of reached zero. When SBP was asked to see this, the comments from this Guardian of public interest were that banks are free to levy the charges under Prudential Book so and so. Levy and Deduction of new charges without any prior knowledge of an account holder is it a Collective Justice to the society? My father too suffered a similar and when he raised the issue the Bank took a stand account holders were informed about this levey and notice was placed on the Branch Notice Board. At that time my father was serving abroad and there no body had received such a notice. It was foolish to think that a foreign currency account holder who is mostly living abroad would see the notice board. The institutions which dispense of justice also give due weight to natural logic and my father’s natural logic against non receipt of such a notice was that had he been ever aware that bank had levied service charges “naturally” he would immediately had withdrawn all amount (in Pak Rupees as was allowed) rather than remaining silent seeing bank every six month deducting from my balance. My father’s this natural logic did not fetch any relief when he approached the protector of peoples rights Federal Ombudsman.