Economy suffering from political turmoil, says Asad Umar

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Asad Umar said Thursday that the main crisis of Pakistan was political, and the economy was suffering the consequences, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

While talking to the representatives of international media in Islamabad, he criticised the economic measures of the government and said that the entire economic strategy had been focused on keeping the exchange rate under control.

“A failed and ineffective attempt is being made to control the value of the rupee through administrative measures. During our regime, we decided to keep the exchange rate in line with the market principle,” he stated.

“People express their opinions through ballot papers and surveys. The PTI won 75 per cent of the elections held after the no-confidence motion. According to the surveys conducted during this period, 76 per cent of people believe that Imran Khan’s government performed best during the spread of coronavirus,” he maintained.

“We made agriculture, construction, IT and textile sectors the means of employment during our regime. We also reduced the cost of agriculture production through supply of cheap fertilizers and seeds. More than Rs1,000 billion had gone to the rural economy due to our farmer-friendly policies,” he added.

“The PTI government had had the remittances increased from $19 billion to $31 billion. We made earning dollars from various sources and creating jobs the basis of our economic strategy,” he reiterated.

“Two-time high funds were spent in the education sector, three-time in the health sector and 17-time high in the environment protection sector. There is no doubt that there had been a constructive working relationship between the PTI and the establishment for three years. Cooperation between the civil and military institutions directly benefited the country,” he stated.

Reporter: Kifayat Ali Shah