‘Masses know’ Imran behind economic crisis

Marriyum says truth can’t be hidden by ‘lying, threatening or abusing’

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Monday said that the people of Pakistan were fully aware of the fact that former prime minister Imran Khan was responsible for the present economic situation and unemployment in the country.

In a tweet, she shared the economic data issued by the government, saying that the truth could not be hidden by lying, threatening or abusing.

The people know the real culprits behind the present economic catastrophe, she said, adding that former prime minister Imran Khan was responsible for unemployment and hunger in the country.

As per comparative data issued by the Government of Pakistan, in 2018 when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) previous tenure ended, dollar-rupee parity stood at 116 but when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regime was removed through vote of no-confidence one dollar was equal to Rs189.

At the end of PML-N tenure in 2018, the GDP growth rate was at 6.1 percent, whereas at the end of the PTI government in April this year, the expected growth rate was 4 percent.

Inflation ratio in 2018 was only 3.4 percent, which climbed to 13 percent in April 2022 when PTI’s rule ended. Similarly food inflation, which was only 2.3 percent in 2018, it rose to 15 percent by end of PTI’s tenure.

Sugar price, which was Rs53 per kilogram in 2018, reached the mark of Rs90 after nearly four years of PTI’s rule.

One kilogram ghee was available at Rs151 per kg in 2018 but its price was Rs470 when the PTI government was sent home.

Electricity tariff per unit was Rs11 in 2018, but in April this year it reached Rs25 and gas price per 4 mmbtu in 2018 was Rs600 and in April this year it reached Rs1,400.

Fiscal deficit stood at Rs2,260 billion when the PML-N’s tenure ended in 2018 and it climbed to Rs5,600 billion by the time the PTI regime was removed.

GDP and tax ratio was 11.2 percent in 2018, whereas it fell to 9.2 percent by April 2022.

Foreign loans from 1947 to 2018 remained Rs24,953 billion but loans of Rs42,745 billion were taken in only three-and-a-half years.

There were 3.5 million unemployed persons in Pakistan when PML-N’s tenure ended in 2018, and in April 2022, there were 9.5 million unemployed persons.

Pakistan’s rating in the Transparency International index of corruption climbed 23 points during PTI’s rule, reaching 140 by the time PTI was removed, as compared to 117 in 2018.