–Says incumbent rulers unable to take a stand against US
–Solutions to economic problems linked with rule of law
KARACHI
Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday said that when re-elected, his government will focus on the economic uplift of the country but that he would need to be elected with a heavy majority to effect all the measures they deem necessary for the purpose.
He said this on Tuesday while addressing a seminar about the national economy in Karachi from his Zaman Park mansion in Lahore. Imran claimed that his government tried very hard to stabilize and improve the economy with many economic indicators heading in the right direction when his government was ousted in April through a vote of no confidence.
On the topic that his government had approached Moscow for cheaper energy and food at a time when Russia launched a full scale war on Ukraine, Imran said that he still firmly believes that Pakistan should get Russian oil as it is cheap and will help the country get out of the current uncertain situation.
Panning the handling of the economy by the incumbent government, he said that the current situation was such that we do not know what may happen a month from now. He said that India is a sovereign state and can take a stand against America but we could not.
“The current rulers of the country are not able to take a stand against America,” he asserted. He further said that free and fair elections are the need of the hour and expressed confidence that when elections are held, the PTI will win.
Dilating on his economic plans, Imran said that when they return to the power corridors, his administration would connect the country with central Asian ‘virgin’ states, adding that there were many economic opportunities to explore there.
To further improve inflows, Imran reiterated the government’s plan to enhance tourism, focusing on mountain and religious tourism. “We must impose rule of law and widen the tax net and start operations against the mafias,” he said, offering a blueprint for the country’s economic revival.
Imran Khan noted that the economy can’t be improved as long as there was political instability in the country. “Investors don’t invest amid political instability,” he said, adding that political stability is only possible with transparent elections.
Talking about their ouster from government, Imran said that when he found out a conspiracy was afoot to expel him from government, he sent his finance czar Shaukat Tarin to the ‘neutrals’ to warn them that if they remain ‘neutral’ in the conspiracy, they will be unable to control the country’s economy.
“I messaged the neutrals that their inaction would impact political stability in the country and that would directly impact the economy,” he said, disclosing his counter plan to being ousted. Imran accused the incumbent government of having a 30-year-track record to fail at managing the national economy.
He said that if someone want to restore the confidence of the nation and international investors, it is imperative to hold transparent elections as soon as possible and restore political and economic stability.
Recalling the challenges that his government faced, the former premier said when his party came into power, the country’s economy was still in bad shape. “It would have been difficult if it wasn’t for the help Pakistan received from friendly nations,” he noted.
“If we hadn’t received help from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and China, we wouldn’t have had resources for payments,” the PTI Chairman said.
Speaking about the PTI’s management of the COVID-19 crisis, Imran said he was proud of his economic team for how it tackled the issues.
“The corona crisis was extremely massive. Had we imposed a complete lockdown during the epidemic, people would have died of hunger,” he added.
“We provided relief to people during COVID-19,” Khan said highlighting that his government made the best decisions during the pandemic.
He further claimed that the Lahore Development Authority had informed him about the corruption in the real estate sector. “Multiple cases were registered on the issue but the police and government departments were bribed and silenced,” he alleged.
He also criticized the incumbent government over its ‘failed economic policies’, regretting that any new incoming government will need to take “tough decisions” to correct the country’s course Imran Khan said Pakistan needed to focus on how to attract investment inflows into the country and investors should be especially incentivised.
