LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari has called for adopting a holistic approach and prudent financial policies to put the country on the path of development.

Speaking at a seminar here on Tuesday, the president said the government was planning to tax agricultural income as per the International Mone­tary Fund’s conditions, but the provincial governments would be leading the initiative to tax large land-holding farmers in accordance with their profitability and expenditures.

The president said that agro-farm and agro-industry were the future and big landowners would have to be taxed.

Referring to his rep­ea­ted media trial, he said that he did not watch TV but knew that the amount of criticism pointed at him in the electronic media had never been given to anyone else. “I consider this backbiting as a source of reward (in the hereafter) for myself,” he said.

He said he supported freedom of the press but not the freedom for any age­nda by forming a group. He also said the world’s strong lobby wants to create a perception on its own behalf to create division in the Muslim world.