Stressing the need for giving hope to future generations, Federal Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik said on Tuesday that it was unfortunate that political differences in the country had now turned into animosities, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said that what a nation needed was a ray of hope. “You can live in darkness but not in a state of despair.”
He said there were Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had three priorities in mind; first to provide jobs to the youth; second to create a business-friendly environment, and third to overcome inflation and poverty.
The minister said last year the country’s growth had plummeted to zero, while now it had risen to 2.4 per cent. “It is after 19 years that 6.3 per cent growth rate has been recorded in the agriculture sector,” he said, claiming that for the first time in the country’s history record increase had been recorded in the sale of tractors.
Musadik said that the rate of inflation which last year stood at 38 per cent had now nosedived to just 12 per cent.
Similarly, he went on to say, that rates of food items had dropped from 40 per cent to two per cent. “I don’t say that there is no inflation in the country. But at least it has reduced.”
The minister said that Rs600 billion had been earmarked for the poor under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).
He informed that development projects worth Rs12,00 billion had been introduced in the recently passed budget.
Musadik said all that PTI wanted was the country to stop developing and that there should be hopelessness all around.
He informed that there were 86 per cent households in the country which consumed less than 200 units of electricity. “That is the reason why the prime minister retained the last year’s power tariff for these households,” he added.
The minister said that the country’s stock exchange had shown a bullish trend during the last few months.
He claimed that now even the world had started acknowledging that Pakistan was going to become economically stable. “But here there is political instability,” he lamented.