Pakistan now advancing on economic front: Fayyaz

• Fayyazul Hassan says under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister and CM Punjab, Pakistan is now advancing on the economic front and international monetary institutions and credit rating agencies are also acknowledging this fact.
• The minister says craze of corruption and construction of mere roads brought nothing but ignominy and humiliation to Sharif family.

LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan said on Tuesday that under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Pakistan was now advancing on the economic front and international monetary institutions and credit rating agencies were also acknowledging this fact.

Addressing a news conference here at DGPR office, he said now the government would effectively counter the opposition's propaganda.

He said craze of corruption and construction of mere roads brought nothing but ignominy and humiliation to Sharif family.

He advised the JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to rely on 'Soji Halwa' (traditional sweet dish) as 'Curreny Halwa' was no more in his fate.

The provincial minister said the PTI government under the leadership of Usman Buzdar had embarked upon a number of unprecedented projects/initiative in its first 15 months, adding 'All Pakistan Loot and Plunder Association' was unable to digest the PTI government's achievements.

He mentioned that in its first year, the present government managed to decrease up to 60 per cent CM House expenditures other than employees' salaries. Contrary to Shehbaz Sharif, who was known as Shehbaz Speed due to his corruption and money laundering, Sardar Usman Buzdar did not continue with tendency of keeping along 2000 security personnel and eight CM camp offices but reduced his security expenditures from Rs 830 million to as low as Rs 280 million, ensuring net saving of Rs 550 million of public money.

The PTI government also cut the allocation for Presents and Hospitality to Rs 30 million against Rs 110 million of the previous government on this count, he added.

The minister said it was first time in Punjab history that 100 per cent peace was ensured by Buzdar-led government during Muharramul Haram, while 925,000 kanal of state land from grabber and so-called politicians including Talal Chaudhry, Mian Latif and Danyal Aziz was also retrieved.

According to the first quarter report of the finance department, he mentioned, the government saved up to Rs 75 billion by maintaining proper balance between revenues and expenditures, which was again a glaring example of good governance and best administration of the present government.

The Punjab information minister said first time in provincial history, 35 per cent of the development budget had been earmarked solely for southern districts and this would help dispel the negative impression of 'Takht-e-Lahore' in the minds of people of south, because successive previous governments had focused on central and northern districts of Punjab with regard to development.

Regarding legislation, he said, last PML-N provincial government had held 34 cabinet meetings in its five-year tenure, while Buzdar-led PTI government had held 19 meeting in 15 months, in which more than 36 bills pertaining to public welfare had been passed.

Fayyazul Hassan Chohan said low-cost houses were being constructed under Naya Pakistan Housing Project in four districts of Punjab in order to ensure provision of shelter to low-income class of the society, while work had also been started on construction of nine universities, 43 colleges and nine hospitals.

He asserted that PTI government had also successfully completed distribution of Insaf Sehat Cards in 32 districts under which the card-holder could avail free of cost medical facilities worth up to Rs 750,000 in public and private hospitals annually.

About provincial economy, the minister said that now Punjab was attracting up to US $ 2 billion foreign direct investment (FDI), and the province that was facing Rs 1200 billion debt, reaped dividend of Rs 75 billion in three months.

To a question, he said the PTI government was all committed to revive student unions but within the ambit of code of ethics.