Country's economy improving, National Assembly told

Minister of State for Production, Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood informed the National Assembly on Wednesday that the country's economy was improving with manufacturing sector growing at a rate of 5.19 percent as compared to 2.6 percent last year. Responding to a call attention notice moved by Muhammad Pervaiz Malik and others regarding increase in current account deficit, he said that it was not true that the country would go bankrupt due to rise in current account deficit.
He expressed the confidence that the current account deficit will come down during the next seven months by the initiatives taken by the government. He said the country's exports have witnessed an increase and efforts were being made to further improve them. The minister said the current account deficit has risen to $2.1 billion during the first five months of the current fiscal year due to increase in imports, which reached $16.5 billion.
He said foreign remittances have also recorded increase and the government was striving to further boost foreign remittances by providing incentives to Pakistanis abroad. Referring to concern of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on increase in current account deficit, he said the SBP was an independent institution and its policies were not governed by the government.
Earlier, PML-N lawmaker Nuzhat Sadiq expressed concern over the current account deficit while referring to the SBP report saying that the government might burden the masses in the next budget to meet the deficit. Malik Shakir Bashir Awan expressed the hope that due to sluggish economy and the government's poor vision, the country was near bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, responding to a call attention, Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah said there was no proposal under consideration to stop the teaching of forensic subject in the medical institutions. He said if any of medical college has closed the forensic department, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council can cancel its license. The notice was moved by PPP's Yasmeen Rehman and others regarding closure of forensic medicine departments in medical colleges.