Marriyum calls PTI white paper ‘pack of lies’

Minister says this couldn’t cover his ‘corruption and incompetence’

LAHORE:

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday said that PTI Chairman Imran Khan could not justify his “evil deeds”, including “corruption and incompetence”, by simply issuing a white paper.

“Whether he issues white, red or yellow paper, nothing can help Imran Khan cover up his corruption and incompetency besides violation of the constitution he committed during his government’s tenure,” the minister said in a news statement while reacting to the PTI’s chief remarks.

She said that it was the ruling alliance that had made concerted efforts to steer the country out of economic crises created by the previous government.

“How can Imran Khan, who himself plunged the country into an economic quagmire which ushered in sheer poverty, extreme inflation, and massive unemployment, question the performance of a government which came into power just one year ago?” the minister wondered.

She said that a person who brought the country to the brink of default issued a white paper that ironically had no mention of the circular debt in the power sector, which jumped to Rs2,400 billion from Rs1,100 billion during his own government’s tenure.

There was also no mention of circular debt in the energy sector which soared to Rs1,400 billion during the PTI’s government tenure, she added.

Marriyum said Imran had not also dared to mention the “wrong policies” of his government which resulted in a whooping increase in the prices of wheat and sugar that went up to Rs100 from Rs35 per kg and Rs120 from Rs52 per kg, respectively.

The minister said that the PTI government had taken record loans of Rs20,000 billion which was also not mentioned in the white paper. It was the coalition government that had returned $11 billion in one year, she added, mentioning that budget deficit was also absent from the white paper.

Marriyum further said that the former prime minister had angered almost every friendly country by pursuing “wrong policies” during his four years rule.

She also termed the white paper as a “pack of lies”.