Pakistan Economic Survey: Economic performance misrepresented: PTI

ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday strongly criticised the Economic Survey for the fiscal year 2024-25, dismissing the reported 2.7% GDP growth rate as both embarrassing and manipulated.

The opposition party accused the government of misrepresenting the country’s economic performance ahead of the annual budget, due to be presented in the National Assembly Tuesday.

Speaking at a presser, PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram said: “At least 30 million people in Pakistan have fallen below the poverty line. These were the very people brought in by the current regime to fix the economy, yet they ended up extinguishing household stoves instead.”

The remarks came shortly after Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb unveiled the Economic Survey for 2024-25, which reported GDP growth of 2.7% and an inflation rate of 4.6% for the outgoing fiscal year.

According to the finance minister, the economy had begun to recover after the 2023 fiscal year and was showing signs of stability and consolidation moving into 2025.

The survey, released a day ahead of the 2025-26 federal budget, provides an overview of Pakistan’s socio-economic performance, including GDP trends, tax revenue, industrial output, and other fiscal indicators.

Akram challenged the government’s economic claims, drawing comparisons with growth under the PTI-led administration of former prime minister Imran Khan.

“They used to scoff at the 6.5% growth rate achieved under our government. But over the past three years, the average growth has been only 1.5%,” he said.

Describing the current figures as “fake and misleading,” he likened the growth numbers to Form-47 – a reference to alleged rigging during the 8 February general elections.

He also questioned the credibility of the Economic Survey for 2024-25, saying it failed to reflect the economic hardships being faced by the general population. “The people have become economically orphaned under this government,” he claimed.

Akram further cited a reported 13.5% decline in the agriculture sector, accusing the government of pursuing policies that were anti-farmer and, in his words, akin to enmity with the nation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025