‘PTI government will ensure stability, root out corruption’

MINISTER SAYS ECONOMY IN DIRE STRAITS DUE TO POLICIES OF PREVIOUS GOVERNMENTS

The recovery of national wealth looted by the Sharifs and Zardaris can help end the country’s financial crisis.”

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain yesterday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government exerting all efforts to ensure the country’s economic stability.

In an interview with a private news channel, the minister said the economy was in dire straits due to the policies of the previous governments. The PTI government has taken many corrective measures, which were showing positive results, he said, adding that talks were underway with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stabilise the economic situation.

Hussain said the previous governments had trapped the country in a debt web. The borrowed amount was spent on unnecessary projects or ones which were only profitable for them. National wealth was either stolen by the previous ruling leaders or spent on their personal whims, he alleged.

The minister said the recovery of national wealth looted by the Sharifs and Zardaris could help end the country’s financial crisis. It was part of the PTI’s manifesto, and Prime Minister Imran Khan stood in the last general election on the promise of accountability and recovery of stolen public funds.

‘Revolutionary changes’

The PTI government, Hussain said, was taking steps to take the “looters and thieves of public money” to task. The crackdown against the corrupt would continue and no one would be spared, he said. “We will bring the change that we have promised the people,” he said.

Claiming that the culture of sweeping everything under the carpet prevailed during the past governments, he said, the corrupt were once shielded but that culture has now changed.

The governments headed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had destroyed the government departments through their corrupt practices. Political appointees were seen in every department, he added.

As part of PTI’s mandate to root out corruption, Prime Minister Khan is expected to inform the nation on November 29 of his government’s performance after the completion of 100 days in office.

He said Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar was also taking revolutionary steps for the benefit of the people of his province.

The current government had not made even a single appointment to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Hussain noted. He also observed it was the government’s responsibility to protect all minority community members, including Asia Bibi, who was in Pakistan.

A new media regulatory authority would soon be set up, to regulate everything including social media.

To a question, he said the opposition wanted another National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), but the government would not fulfil their request.

Chaudhry Fawad Hussain | Minister