ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday that the Economic Survey 2021-22 has validated PTI’s claims about Pakistan’s advancement and economic growth.
He stated on a private TV channel show that the statistics from the study indicated that Pakistan prospered during his administration. In the last two years, the PTI government has put Pakistan on the path to economic progress and prosperity, he said, adding that the country was on the right track.
Imran stated that Pakistan’s GDP increased by 5.74 percent in the third year of the PTI government, adding that the FBR had collected a record tax of Rs6,100 billion and that exports, which had been frozen when the PTI took power, had reached $32 billion.
Furthermore, he claimed that overseas Pakistanis’ trust in the PTI government had resulted in a record increase in foreign remittances. When asked about his government’s agricultural efforts, he stated that production had increased by 4.4 percent and that farmers were now receiving crop prices on time for the first time.
In response to critics’ debt rhetoric, he said the PMLN had kept the GDP-to-debt ratio at 64 percent, and the PTI had kept it at that level despite paying double interest. Inflation has been at an all-time high since the incumbent government took office, according to the PTI chairman.
Regarding the PTI’s pandemic policy, Imran Khan stated that he was under immense pressure to impose a nationwide curfew, but that his government’s smart policy earned international recognition, as Pakistan outperformed other countries in the subcontinent in terms of employment opportunities during the pandemic.
He stated that they did not succumb to the International Monetary Fund’s pressure and that they prioritized the people’s interests above all else, providing them with maximum relief. He pointed out that the IMF had asked the PTI government to raise fuel and electricity prices, but they refused to accept the harsh terms. He went on to say that the petrol price was only raised by Rs55 per litre during the PTI’s tenure, but that the ‘imported government’ had raised it by Rs60 in just 15 days.
Imran expressed regret that Pakistan was unable to obtain foreign loans due to the government’s incompetence, and that Wapda’s credit rating had also been downgraded. “The thieves have been made the guardians, so now the corrupt will plunder the country’s wealth with impunity,” he said, adding that NAB and FIA had been virtually abolished. He asked the Supreme Court whether the changes to the NAB law were in accordance with the Constitution’s spirit. He claimed that the government was also involved in a scheme to rig the next elections and that they would soon file a lawsuit challenging the new constituency delimitation.
The PTI chairman claimed that the house of a NAB officer probing cases against ex-president Asif Ali Zardari was raided to intimidate him. He also cited the sudden deaths of FIA officials Dr. Rizwan and Maqsood, aka Chaprasi.
Imran demanded inquiries into the deaths of Dr. Rizwan and Maqsood, who had mysteriously died of heart attacks. Imran Khan said he would soon give a call for the biggest protest against the injustices being done to Pakistan.
He claimed that the passage of the NAB and Election Amendment Bills in the joint session of parliament would cause more harm to the country. He claimed that by giving these people an NRO, Musharraf had increased Pakistan’s debts by four times. He stated that Shehbaz Sharif would now be in charge of the NAB and the FIA and that the money laundering investigations against him would be completed. According to the PTI chief, the accused had never been a judge under any law in the world.
Meanwhile, Imran sent out a tweet to express his condolences to Aamir Liaquat’s family, writing, “Saddened to learn of the passing of our MNA Aamir Liaquat.” My heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to his loved ones.”
