Imran Khan blasts govt’s economic policies

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf [PTI] chairman on Wednesday questioned the government’s economic and financial policies saying they were benefiting a small coterie of supporters while causing havoc in the lives of ordinary citizens.

“The PML-N government had failed to increase the collection of direct taxation and was increasing the burden on the poor and middle classes with indirect taxation, particularly on petroleum products and a small coterie of supporters were benefitting,” PTI chairman Imran Khan said in a statement.



Talking about the recent increase in prices of petroleum products, Khan stated that “there was absolutely no need for the latest increase in petrol and diesel prices.”

He said PTI will not only protest against the price hikes, but will also raise the economic and financial blunders being inflicted on Resources and institutions. Imran pointed out that when the international oil price had fallen by 25% in the first four months of this fiscal year, the govt had only passed on a relief of less than 4% in diesel prices which meant that the benefit of more than 20% drop in oil prices had been pocketed by the govt.



This injustice towards citizens, farmers and businesses, all of whom are already struggling in adverse economic conditions, has now been further aggravated with the increase in petrol and diesel prices, he added. He further stated that private banks were making billions in profits at the taxpayers’ expense because the government is borrowing at steep interest rates from these banks and repaying the loans with taxpayer money.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2015.