Govt to stick with IMF deal: minister

Information minister says govt’s top priority is to bring political and economic stability in the country

ISLAMABAD:

Amid a stalemate on the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme as well as talks about securing a new deal, the government on Thursday announced that it was determined to complete the ongoing programme with the global money lender.

“[The] Previous government had suspended the IMF programme but we are determined to complete it,” Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said while addressing a news conference.

The minister stressed that the government’s top priority was to bring political and economic stability in the country, noting that the incumbent ruling coalition inherited the economic crisis from the previous regime.

“The [previous] government signed the IMF programme. It violated the programme and suspended it. [Later] We inherited the suspended programme,” she maintained.

Marriyum said the government had resumed negotiations and accepted all IMF conditions during a difficult economic situation in an attempt to stabilise the economy.

“Economy is no switch-off and switch-on button. It is deeply connected with the political stability and the stabilisation requires continued efforts,” she said, claiming that the previous government not only “laid landmines” to destroy the economy but kept attacking it whenever even slightest improvement occurred.

Comparing the ruling coalition government with the PTI, Marriyum said people had seen two mindsets of “construction and destruction” in one year.

On one hand, efforts were made to stabilise the ruined economy and give employment to the youth and relief to the people, she said, adding that on the other, seeds of chaos, hatred and anarchy were sown, while referring to the May 9 violence.

Marriyum said the situation had improved during the last two weeks after the “political uncertainty went down to some extent”.

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She said the government’s one-year policies had started bearing results as a record reduction in the prices of petrol, dollar and LPG were recorded.

Regarding the LPG, she said the price of a cylinder for domestic consumers reduced to Rs2,321 from Rs2,759 witnessing a decrease of Rs438. Similarly, she maintained, the price of commercial LPG cylinder had gone down to Rs8,933 from Rs10,619.

The minister said the price of cooking oil was cut by Rs60-70 per kilogramme whereas the price of flour and wheat also witnessed a decrease by Rs35-40 per kilogramme.

Further, crediting the government, she noted that the price of petrol was reduced by Rs20 whereas of diesel by Rs35 in last 15 days.

Marriyum recalled that the government took “historic steps” right after floods hit the country, saying timely efforts led to a bumper wheat crop this year.

The wheat production this year topped 27.5 million metric tons, she said, adding that it was the highest in the last 10 years.

Further hailing the government’s policies, the information minister said the value of dollar dropped by about Rs27 on Thursday.

She said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed that relief in the reduction in prices of oil, flour and LPG should pass on to the common man.

Responding to a question that “it is the first press conference in 10 years in which PTI chairman Imran Khan’s name is not mentioned,” Marriyum said the presser was about the development of the country, reduction in prices of commodities and political and economic stability.

When it comes to economic and political stability as well as relief to the people, she said, Imran’s name cannot be mentioned, adding that “only Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif’s names can be taken.”