Economy witnessing 'strong growth': PM Imran

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Saturday said that the country’s economy was witnessing strong growth, adding that jobs were also being created.

The premier’s message was regarding a news report, published in a local daily, about the Pakistan stock market’s claim of having achieved its highest profit in a decade.

“Profits of listed businesses grew 59% year on year for the first 9 months, despite Covid challenges,” PM Imran maintained.

He hoped that businesses and employers would “share these gains” with their workforces.

PM Imran on Friday said that Pakistan demonstrated exceptional performance in confronting Covid-19 compared with other countries of the region. “Pakistan is expected to achieve over 4% economic growth – which is a major success,” he added while chairing a meeting of the Macroeconomic Advisory Group.

“Since we inherited a huge circular debt, anti-exports policies, unstable financial conditions, less-competitive business environment and policies of lower incentives for the private sector, the present government’s three years are an economic success story,” he added.

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This comes a day after members of the Prime Minister’s Economic Strategy Group on Thursday advised Imran Khan to set up a war room to build a positive narrative of the government on the economic front.

The members suggested bringing improvement in media management amid prime minister’s dissatisfaction with the performance of the government’s representatives at the public platforms.

Some of the members who publicly criticise the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s three and a half years rule privately praised the government over its economic achievements, at least two participants of the meeting told The Express Tribune after the meeting.

The government eyes over 4% economic growth this fiscal year despite the worst balance of payments crisis in 2018, economic problems due to Covid-19, high commodity prices in the international market and the direct and indirect impact of a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.