Exports register 25% increase, Senate told

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan on Tuesday informed the Senate on Tuesday informed that the country’s exports had increased by 25 per cent during the first half of the current fiscal year.

Responding to calling attention notice regarding trade deficit that has reached $24.787 billion in the first six months of the current financial year, the minister said only in December the exports remained at $2.761 billion with a 32 per cent surge as compared to the same month of the fiscal year 2020-21.

“The exports remained at the highest level of around $2 billion per month during the last tenure of the PML-N government, which has now increased $3 billion per month,” he said.

During the session chaired by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, the state minister maintained in three and a half years, the government had met economic targets, which none of its predecessors could have achieved.

“During the tenure of the current government the gross domestic product growth has reached 5%.”

The Senate chairman expressed his displeasure over the absence of the officials of the commerce ministry.

He directed the commerce secretary to attend the session immediately. However, despite repeated summons, the secretary did not arrive.

The chairman directed the state minister to bring the absence of the commerce secretary to the notice of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Separately, the opposition parties lambasted the treasury benches over the latest report of the Transparency International (TI), depicting the country’s slide in the global corruption index.

Opposition members belonging to the PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, PkMAP, ANP and Jamaat-e-Islami also filed an adjournment motion on the rise in graft cases in the country.

The CPI is an index published annually by the global watchdog, which ranks countries “by their perceived levels of public sector corruption”.

PPP Senator Quratulain Marri said the government was mired in corruption but they were levelling allegations against the opposition.

Sherry Rehman of the PPP said that Pakistan had slipped 16 places on the corruption index.

“Until yesterday, you were calling the opposition thieves. Why has corruption increased so during your tenure?” she asked.

Rehman added that the PTI-led government had made corruption its “narrative”.

“This government is not based on performance but on the narrative of corruption.”

The senior PPP leader then mocked the government, saying that “today is the last nail in your coffin”.

Responding to the opposition’s criticism, the state minister said those who were exposed in the Panama Papers leaks were “giving us lectures on corruption”.

He added that PM Imran would never back down from his struggle against corruption.

Speaking on a calling-attention notice, Rehman said the increase in the trade deficit was because of the government’s incompetence.

She pointed out that the country’s import bill had increased by 67% to $40 billion.

Later, the opposition staged a walkout in protest against the absence of the trade adviser to respond to the questions.

The proceedings were subsequently adjourned because of the lack of quorum.

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