ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Pervez Khattak today (Monday) termed opposition’s denigration of the government over rising inflation a “drama”, asserting that a country where there was no inflation would eventually stop progressing.
Speaking on the floor of National Assembly, the Defence Minister said that inflation and people’s lives were correlated. “Take a look at Europe or the US and analyse if there had been any price cuts in basic commodities,” he insisted.
He said he was also in the construction business for years, adding, “I struggle to find people in this work, and the opposition still claims of inflation.” Khattak said that if people’s lives were getting better and they had money to meet their expenses, it was an indication that the country was going forward.
“This is all ‘drama’ from the opposition, which people will no longer buy into it. Now people have become sensible,” he added. Khattak said it seemed that the opposition had a strategy to repeat its lies so many times that they may sound like truth.
Referring to the Budget 2021-22, Khattak said that federal budget would bring economic revolution in the country. “The construction and industrial sectors were booming due to the incentives given by Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government,” he added,
He lamented that no previous government had doled out incentives to the agriculture sector like the PTI did, adding that the opposition was insecure of the steps taken by Imran Khan for the poor.
“The world economy suffered a lot due to Covid-19 pandemic however Pakistan’s economy did not suffer a lot owing to prudent policies adopted by the PTI government”, he added.
Khattak said PTI government had to avail International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programme when it came into power because the country’s economy was in shambles due to flawed policies of PPP and PML-N.
He expressed the hope the country would not only get rid of IMF but also emerged as a strong economic power. “The national economy was on right track and the industry was moving on fast track,” he added.
Khattak said Shehbaz Sharif claimed no university was built in the KP. “I challenge him to have a debate with me and recount what he did in his 20 years and I will lay facts before the House about what I did in just five years,” he added.
