ISLAMABAD: Criticising the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government for rising inflation, PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman said that on the one hand the government is painting a rosy picture of its performance, and on the other hand, we have figures from the World Bank, which state that during May 2020 to May 2021, food prices have been increased by 14.8 percent in Pakistan.
"It is shocking that food inflation has doubled in the past three years. From 5.5 percent in 2018, it rose to 10.48 percent in 2021. Whereas our inflation rate is currently averaging at almost 11 percent, which is higher than both India and Bangladesh. Our economic growth rate has decreased. It comes as no surprise that around 68 percent of our population is unable to afford a healthy diet. The unemployment rate has jumped from 6.2 percent to 15 percent. In 2020, over 20 lac people were unemployed, which is almost a quarter of the 1 crore jobs that PTI had promised. The income earned by over 6.7 million Pakistanis has declined in the last two years. Poverty has increased to 40 percent," Sherry Rehman said.
She said in a statement on Saturday that in the last three years, our public debt has increased to Rs38.006 trillion.
She said this is an increase of 52.3 percent, which is double of what the PPP took and more than half of the PML-N's share.
While the PTI was busy celebrating over not taking a loan from the State Bank in a year, the circular debt doubled to Rs2.28 trillion, she added.
Addressing the rising Current Account Deficit (CAD), the PPP leader said that the current account is back in deficit, while the Foreign Direct Investment has dipped by 39 percent.
"So, why was the PTI government celebrating a surplus in both? CAD showed a surplus due to historical dip in international prices amid global Covid-19 crisis, while the FDI improved only due to China's investment in the CPEC projects," she claimed.
"In the last three years, the PTI government hid key debt statistics, and presented dubious GDP statistics to hide incompetence. Our food inflation is highest in the region, and the unemployment rate has jumped from six percent to 15 percent. Wheat, sugar and oil crisis has caused losses worth billions. Pakistan's economy is on the ventilator, so what exactly has the government done, which is worth celebrating?" she questioned.
Meanwhile, Secretary Information Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Faisal Karim Kundi, addressing a press conference in Islamabad, said that the "callous" Prime Minister Imran Khan has snatched employment from the poor people of Pakistan.
He requested the Supreme Court to review its decision of sacking 12,000 employees from the federal government department.
He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had recently organised a festival at the Convention Centre and presented "a bundle of lies" in which there was no truth.
Instead of performance, the prime minister told the nation about his three-year "incompetence". "It is all in front of the nation."
He said that the best medical treatment is being provided to the people in Sindh.
There is no such hospital in the KP, 53 doctors from Lady Reading Hospital have resigned and gone home in protest against the government's policies, he said.
"The situation in Afghanistan is in front of everyone, we demand the government to convene a session of Parliament on the Afghanistan issue, Afghanistan's land should not be used against Pakistan, at present there is no government' foreign policy. Pakistan is facing diplomatic isolation," the PPP leader said.
Kundi further said that the worst restrictions are going to be imposed on the media through the media development authority.
"The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has become an institution for kidnapping and arm twisting. The NAB's job is only to put the opposition against the wall, in the name of the State of Madinah. Pakistan came under the sway of terrorism due to wrong policies of Pervez Musharraf. If the opposition unites and brings no-confidence, it can work. Why Maulana and PML-N want to give five years to the government. There is a statement of Maryam Nawaz in this regard," he said.
"Why aren't local bodies elections are being held in Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan? How many IGs have changed in Punjab? From the billion tree to the dam funds, there is corruption. Now tell me, the price of petrol has gone up to the highest level and where is the profit going. Is it going to Banigala? The government was claiming reforms; local government is nowhere to be seen. Local body elections are not being held in the provinces, six FBR chairmen have been changed. The nation was surprised by Imran Khan's statement about Buzdar. The scandal of BRT, Malam Jaba, Ring Road are not loot and plunder then what are these. Khursheed Shah has been imprisoned for two years without any case," Kundi stated.
"Pakistan is deserted and the foreign policy has failed. The prime minister said that the Pakistani territory was used against Iran. Those who brought Imran Khan should have trained him to run the government," he said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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