Rauf Klasra criticized Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal over a Rs213 billion tax on Islamabad residents, questioning his authority while suggesting that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is wielding increasing control in federal planning.
Imran Malik, MediaBites: September 14, 2025 – This report is based on X updates from both political and journalistic heavyweights.
A heated exchange between veteran journalist Rauf Klasra and Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has sparked fresh debate about Islamabad’s troubled development projects, new taxation plans, and the growing clout of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
The controversy erupted after Klasra slammed Iqbal and the Planning Commission for allegedly approving a controversial scheme that would impose a staggering Rs213 billion municipal tax on Islamabad’s citizens under the banner of building a new medical complex. Klasra accused the government of squeezing ordinary citizens while failing to deliver transparency and accountability on past mega-projects.
The journalist pointedly reminded Iqbal that since 2010, successive governments have collected nearly Rs700 billion through the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC), promising to construct the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. “The pipeline was never built, and the money has vanished into thin air,” Klasra charged, also questioning billions of rupees diverted from petroleum levies in Balochistan under the guise of road construction.
In response, Ahsan Iqbal attempted to deflect the criticism, clarifying that Islamabad’s administration falls under the Interior Ministry, not the Planning Division. “It is unfair to hold me responsible for issues outside my domain,” he argued, adding that Narowal had seen remarkable progress under his leadership, which is why locals continue to place their trust in him.
But the minister’s explanation only fueled Klasra’s anger. In a scathing rebuttal, the senior journalist said he was “more alarmed than reassured” by Iqbal’s answer. He argued that the Planning Commission cannot wash its hands of Islamabad’s deteriorating state, since every CDA project passes through the Commission’s approval channels, such as CDWP and ECNEC. “If your ministry has nothing to do with Islamabad’s planning, then why does the Planning Division exist at all?” he asked.
Klasra further accused Iqbal of allowing destructive projects in the capital, citing the felling of thousands of trees, unchecked construction on Margalla hills, urban flooding caused by bulldozing natural streams, and flawed designs of costly underpasses and flyovers that collapsed or flooded during the first rains. “Islamabad’s beauty is being murdered in the name of development, and you claim your ministry is not responsible?” he pressed.
In a biting conclusion, Klasra suggested that Iqbal’s authority is shrinking rapidly as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi consolidates power. “It seems Naqvi is not only overshadowing you but even Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. If all your powers have been quietly transferred to him, then perhaps you are only left as minister for Narowal, not for Pakistan.”
The fiery exchange has sparked a broader discussion in political and journalistic circles about Islamabad’s development, the credibility of Pakistan’s planning institutions, and the meteoric rise of Mohsin Naqvi as one of the most influential figures in the federal capital.
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