Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan Thursday claimed that Pakistan was prospering on the economic front during the tenure of his government. He made the remarks while talking about Pakistan’s current economic situation, soon after the government unveiled the Pakistan Economic Survey (PES) 2021-22. “The economic survey endorsed that Pakistan’s GDP was 5.74pc during the third year of PTI’s government,” he said. The former prime minister added that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) collected a record tax of Rs6,100, while the exports that were frozen when PTI came into power, touched the $32 billion level. The foreign remittances witnessed a record increase due to trust in the PTI government by overseas Pakistanis, he maintained. Recalling some of the achievements of his government in the agriculture field, Imran Khan said agriculture production witnessed a 4.4pc increase. He also talked about the PTI’s focus on building dams in the country to resolve Pakistan’s water and energy issues. But lamented that work on dams started by the PTI government was suffering as the credit rating of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) had fallen, “which meant that it was more difficult to secure loans”. “Our project for constructing dams is in danger. Funds are required to construct dams and we have no foreign exchange,” he said. He also highlighted how Moody’s, a credit rating agency, had downgraded Pakistan’s outlook. He blamed the incumbent government for soaring inflation in the country. “The people will now find out what inflation truly is,” he said. He once again highlighted how the PTI government withstood pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying that the party’s leadership was destined to live and die in Pakistan. “In three-and-a-half years, we raised petrol and diesel prices by Rs55 and Rs50, respectively. They have increased prices by Rs60 per litre in the span of 10 days.” He questioned, “If they (government) were not ready to economically stabilise the country, then what was the point of carrying out a conspiracy and ousting the government? “All of their (rulers) assets are abroad, they don’t have a stake in Pakistan,” he said while lashing out at the government.
