ISLAMABAD: Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri said that the government is committed to serving the nation and providing health, employment and social safety under the leadership of the allied parties.

Addressing a news conference on Wednesday along with PPP leader Faisal Karim Kundi, she said that the general public during the tenure of the previous government has created inflation, unemployment, and other huge difficulties in the country.

She claimed that the inflation ratio rose to a historical level during Imran Khan’s tenure and his governing style posed a threat to the country as he accepted the riskiest conditions of the IMF and borrowed historic loans.

Marri said that the country had been facing multiple issues at this time due to the ineffective policies of the former prime minister, Imran Khan.

She said that the government led by Imran Khan imposed inflation on the masses by increasing the price of flour from Rs700 to Rs1,100 while the dollar rate was increased from Rs105 to Rs189, in his tenure, resulting in rupee devaluation.

She said that the PTI government borrowed Rs20,000 billion from the IMF during its more than three and half years’ tenure by accepting the dangerous conditions about which the masses were unaware.

The PPP leader claimed that the Imran Khan-led government increased the prices of urea, gas and electricity, multiplying the sufferings of the masses. “Students, government employees, and farmers all remained on roads to protest against the government’s unwise policies and no one was there to listen to their grievances”.

She said Imran Khan was right when he said, “He will be more dangerous when ousted from the government. He has actually become more dangerous for the country”.

Imran Khan has not even spared the House of Allah (Masjid-e-Nabvi) and caused a ruckus there, going below the belt which is highly condemnable.

Marri questioned where were the five million houses, 10 million jobs, and 150 universities which Imran Khan has promised.

He remained unable to construct even a single dam or a university, she said. “Imran Khan miserably failed to fulfil all his promises and cannot utter even a single sentence on his government’s performance in public meetings”.

“Imran Khan has not revealed his own corruption and how he misused the charity funds meant for hospital construction for his political career. All his politics is based on conspiracies”, she added.

She said that the foreign funding case against Imran Khan has not been decided for the last eight years and he is saying that this case is based on a conspiracy. “Why did Imran Khan ask the Election Commission of Pakistan not to reveal its findings to the public”, she asked.

Responding to another question, she said all the PTI MNAs including former speaker National Assembly are still availing salaries, allowances, car facilities, and accommodation at Parliament Lodges.

She urged the PTI MNAs to support the coalition government for electoral reforms as they are availing all the privileges.

Kundi said that Pakistan was going to improve good relations with the United States of America (USA), the European Union, and all the countries for which Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was in the USA on an official tour.

He said that PTI Chairman Imran Khan should tell about the performance of his government to the masses in public gatherings instead of criticising the national institutions.

Kundi said that at the time of appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner, Imran Khan had said that he was a good person but now is criticizing him.

He said that the PTI chief was misusing the resources of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government to attend public gatherings across the country.

Kundi said that now Imran Khan was demanding security due to life threat but unfortunately that person took back the security of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Aftab Khan Sherpao, and other political leaders which resulted in terror attacks on them.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022