Economy, social welfare, Taliban talks: PM Khan counts achievements of three years in power

In this file photo, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan addresses to the crowd at a ceremony in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Photo courtesy: PakPMO)

• Prime Minister Imran Khan asks the world not to doubt the intensions of Taliban and support their endeavor to bring peace to Afghanistan
• The Pakistani PM also thanks Saudi Arabia, UAE and China for supporting his country’s economy at a difficult time

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday his government had revived the country’s collapsing economy, launched social welfare projects and convinced the world to constructively engage the Taliban to address decades of conflict and turmoil in Afghanistan.
Khan was addressing a ceremony in Islamabad to highlight the performance of his administration that recently completed three years in power.
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party won the 2018 general elections in the country before forming the government with the help of its allies.
“The last three years were very difficult,” the prime minister told the gathering. “The economy was on a verge of collapse when we came into power, and we inherited a huge current account deficit of $20 billion. The country was on the verge of default and there were no foreign reserves that could have helped us pay our debts.”
The appreciated the support of friendly nations like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and China for providing financial assistance to Pakistan, saying his country’s economy would have been in a “dire situation if they had not helped.”
Commenting on the situation in Afghanistan, he asked the world community to support the Taliban in the formation of an inclusive government.
“The world should support the Taliban endeavor to bring peace to Afghanistan,” he said. “The Taliban are trying to reach an inclusive political settlement and speaking of peace. We should try to help them.”
He maintained that the Afghan faction had announced amnesty for all, and the world should not doubt their intentions at this stage.
“The 300,000-strong Afghan army did not fight against the Taliban since it did not want to fight for a corrupt government [in Kabul],” he added.
Highlighting his government’s achievements, Khan said it had reduced the current account deficit to $1.8 billion during the last three years.
“During our tenure, foreign reserves increased from $16.4 billion to $27 billion,” he continued. “Remittances reached $29.4 billion from $19.9 billion in 2018.”
The prime minister also highlighted his government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, recalling his opposition to a “blanket lockdown” to save the economic activities in the country.
“The WEF [World Economic Forum] praised Pakistan for its handling of COVID-19, and the Economist [magazine acknowledged] Pakistan for being one of three countries that effectively tackled the coronavirus.”
Khan maintained that people’s lifestyle was gradually improving in Pakistan as the country had witnessed record sales of motorcycles and tractors.
There was also an 85 percent increase in automobile sales, he added.
“Our tax collection was Rs3,800 billion three years ago and now it has reached Rs4,700 billion,” the prime minister said. “Industry witnessed 18 percent growth and cement sale increased by 42 percent, whereas farmers generated Rs1,100 billion of additional income.”
Khan added that his government’s main focus was to root out corruption from the country and hold influential individuals accountable for their actions.
“During our tenure, Punjab’s anticorruption department has recovered Rs450 billion so far,” he informed. “NAB [National Accountability Bureau] had only recovered Rs290 billion in its 18 years of existence, but it recovered Rs519 billion in the last three years.”
Khan also mentioned his government’s social welfare schemes, such as Kamyab Pakistan and Ehsaas Program, saying the latter was rated the “third best in the world” by the World Bank.
“We have allocated more scholarships for girls than boys under the Ehsaas Program,” he said. “We are also working on inheritance laws to ensure that women get their due share in property.”
Regarding the construction of dams during his tenure, the premier said: “Ten dams are being built which will be ready in the next 10 years, while the work on Mohmand dam will be over in 2025.”
Khan mentioned the country’s relations with India in the aftermath of the February 2019 Pulwama incident and thanked the armed forces of Pakistan for playing their part.
“I appreciate our army and the air force,” he said. “As they [the Indian fighter jets] entered our territory to launch an offensive, we realized the [power] of our army.”
He criticized people who defamed the country’s national institutions, saying an attempt was being made by the Indian lobby to discredit the Pakistan Army by creating the narrative that it facilitated the Taliban victory in Afghanistan.