Defence Minister Pervez Khattak has rebuffed the opposition’s criticism on government’s economic policies

 

Address inghe ongoing budget session in the National Assembly on Monday,

 the minister said that construction and industrial sectors were booming due to the incentives given by Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government.

The world economy suffered a lot due to Covid-19 pandemic however Pakistan’s economy did not suffer a lot owing to prudent policies adopted by the PTI government, he added.

Khattak said PTI government had to avail International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programmed when it came into power because the country’s economy was in shambles due to flawed policies of PPP and PML-N.

He expressed the hope the country would not only get rid of IMF but also emerged as a “strong economic power”.

The national economy was on right track and the industry was moving on fast track, he insisted.

He said the ‘change’ was taking place in the country with improvement in the living standards of the people.

Khattak rejected the opposition parties’ criticism saying they could no longer hoodwink the masses.

“PTI will also win the general elections in 2023 with overwhelming majority,” he said.

Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, while addressing the National Assembly session, said that PTI-led government has succeeded in reviving the economy despite the Covid-19 pandemic and added that the opposition parties were exaggerating inflation figures.

However, the finance minister acknowledged that the food prices have surged in the country. “Pakistan has become a net food importer and we don’t have sufficient production of wheat, sugar and pulses to meet the local demand,” he said.

Tarin said the reason for low productivity is lack of investment in the agriculture sector by the past rulers. “We are compelled to import food commodities at higher rates which ultimately increased the food prices,” he added.

The finance minister while quoting Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said the rate of inflation is 11.5 per cent while food inflation has been recorded at 13 per cent. “Opposition is lying that inflation in the country has soared to 25 per cent,” he said.

Tarin said despite all the challenges, the prudent policies of Prime Minister Imran helped the country to overcome aftermaths of Covid-19 pandemic.