Economy stabilised due to effective governance: Faraz

Information minister says PDM set various different goals for itself but it has been failing terribly on all of them

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz has said that the economy stands stabilized as a result of effective policies of the government.

Talking to the media persons in Islamabad on Wednesday, he said that the benefits of improvement in economic indicators will soon reach the masses.

The information minister maintained that inflation has been brought down to single-digit values and that the prices of essential commodities are coming down.

He added that the country’s remittances and exports have increased whilst the imports have decreased. He further said that the large scale manufacturing is also witnessing a major growth.

Faraz said that the efforts of the ruling party have brought the current account deficit to zero, adding that, for a few months, it had even remained positive.

The country’s foreign exchange reserves have also improved, he said.

The information minister said that the opposition alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), is resorting to negative propaganda on the issue of loans taken by the present government. He said that Rs6 trillion were used to pay back the past loans and the interest on them.

He added that Rs1.2 trillion had provided to support different sectors, especially the disadvantaged segments of the society in the wake of breakout Covid-19.

“The PDM set various different goals for itself but it has been failing terribly on all of them,” Faraz said.

When asked about the upcoming Senate elections, the information minister said that the government believes in holding the exercise in the most transparent manner. He said that the government has sought out the guidance of the Supreme Court on holding the open ballots.

Moreover, he stated that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have differing views in regards to the no-confidence motion.

“We do not feel threatened by this alliance as every party in the fold is fighting for its own interest,” the top spokesperson said in response to a question.

To a question relating to the UK-based firm Broadsheet, he said, “it is clear that the previous rulers indulged in corruption and money laundering and made this country poor.”

“It is our democratic obligation to probe the case and investigate it thoroughly.”

Separately, Faraz on Twitter claimed that PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari were responsible for the destruction of the PDM.

“If politics was based on family inheritance rather than merit then the outcome would be the same as is that of PDM today. The two newborn political heirs who did not stop themselves from pushing their elders are to blame for the destruction of this movement,” the minister tweeted from his official account.

“Imran Khan will continue to build Pakistan whereas political opponents will continue to destroy their own parties,” he added.

Prior to his presser in the federal capital, the information minister barred Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill from talking to journalists.

Reportedly, the federal minister was upset by the SAPM’s conduct and told him not to exchange information with any members of the media.

Shibli Faraz said: “It is my duty talk to media, you cannot do that. I am going to hold a press conference, you can also come with me.”

According to details, Gill went away after being rebuked by the minister.

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