ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has stated that the current account surplus and balance in budget deficit excluding debt servicing have been the biggest achievements of the government during the last two years, and added that huge debt burden necessitated the government on belt tightening that was painful for the people.

The prime minister made these remarks at the passing out parade of Islamabad Police on Wednesday, where he announced health insurance cards and house in Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme for the police.

The prime minister said that when the present government came to power in 2018, current account and budget deficit were major challenges, and now after two years current account is in surplus for the fifth consecutive month of the ongoing fiscal year after 17 years, and the budget deficit would also have been in balance, if the government was not required to pay interest on the debt accumulated in the past.

This is the biggest achievement of the government during the last two years, the prime minister added.

And as long as income (revenue) was not increased the nation has to show some patience, he further stated.

The major problem of debt burden compelled the government on belt tightening, he said, and added that expenditure of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Prime Minister’s House had been slashed by 60 to 70 percent, and the federal government expenditure was reduced by Rs40 billion as the country had to achieve balance in budget, and could not depend on loans.

The prime minister said the country was blessed with everything but could not move on the path to development due to governance issue, and by improving governance system, it could be put on the path to development.

He sounded optimistic that the day was not far when the government would have adequate resources to increase not only the salary of Islamabad police but also for other government employees and bureaucrats.

The prime minister held out assurance to Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmed, who requested the premier for bringing salary of Islamabad police at par with Punjab Police, that he would speak to the finance minister on the matter.

The prime minister said he would say two things to the Islamabad Police –the government would provide them health cards, which meant that family of every police official would have Rs1 million health insurance to get treatment from any hospital, and second that in Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme the Islamabad police would be provided their own house on mortgage.

He said he wanted the society to own the police, and that would happen when the police would protect people’s life and health.

The PM said he wanted to see the entire country’s police to change like the KP police, and stated “the ordinary people of the country should be VIP of the police as society is known by how it keeps the weak segment of the society.”

The prime minister said that he came here specially to give a message that the role of the police was great in a society because when it protected the people and ensured law and order, it paved the way for the development of the country.

He said that overseas Pakistanis were assets of the country and only they could uplift the country but their main problem was lack of trust that their money would not be secured in Pakistan.

The prime minister said that the main issue was that when they brought money into Pakistan for the purchase of house or plot those were illegally occupied. “When they can’t buy a plot or house, how they would invest here,” said the prime minister.

The prime minister further stated that the Pakistan army protected the border, whereas the police’s responsibility was to provide security to the nation and protect businessmen.

The prime minister said that was evident from the history that prosperity was interlinked with law and order and security.

The prime minister regretted that so far the police had not achieved respect in the society and there was a history for that because during the British rule, the police was being used against the people.

In 2013, when the PTI government came to power in the KP, police in the province was target of terrorist attacks and 500 police officials lost their lives as well.

However, within a short span of time, the police changed itself and gained respect among the people of the province, and there was a time when the people of KP staged protest in support of the KP police

The prime minister said he was fully aware that the salary of the police was not enough given the inflation, and it would be easy to take the way of earning money through bad means but advised them to remain on the right path.

The prime minister also gave them the example of those politicians who got the opportunity to rule the country, and made choice to earn money through bad means.

“They don’t know how much money they have but what is the point of having such money when they have to either go to hospitals or out of the country, and their children had to lie to hide the money they have plundered,” the prime minister said. Such money was a curse, he stated.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020