Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram has slammed the Punjab government, accusing it of pursuing policies detrimental to farmers.
Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar alongside provincial finance advisor Muzammil Aslam on Friday, Akram targeted the ruling government for its economic mismanagement, Express News reported.
He said the Punjab government had misled the public with false claims. He specifically responded to the remarks of Maryam Nawaz, who had said that the country’s economy was moving in the right direction.
“Maryam Nawaz says the economy is on the right track, but if we compare Punjab’s economic performance under their rule, during our tenure poverty was 12%, while today it is by 13%,” he said.
He further criticized the government’s economic performance, noting that exports under PTI’s tenure reached 31 billion, while in 2024, exports are expected to be only 26 billion. “In 2022, the poverty rate was 35%, but under their rule it increased to 44%,” he added.
Akram also highlighted rising interest rates, which he said contributed to rising budget deficits, with the government facing losses exceeding Rs408 billion. “Under their leadership, institutions like PIA are in the red,” he noted.
He accused the Punjab government of failing to improve essential public services, such as healthcare, and claimed that Maryam Nawaz personally gave her name to the health units, with colleges and universities also linked to her family.
“In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Sehat card covers 103 diseases, but Maryam Nawaz has now introduced separate cards for each disease,” Akram said.
In terms of agricultural policy, Akram accused the Punjab government of being “anti-farmer”, citing how the PTI’s poultry program was mocked by the opposition when it was introduced. “Now they are becoming a joke themselves,” he said, criticizing the government’s handling of agricultural initiatives.
He then referred to the government’s recent statement regarding job cuts. “The finance minister said he would cut 150,000 jobs, but those seats were already vacant,” he said, accusing the government of misleading the public by falsely claiming it was reducing the burden on the economy. ‘economy.
Muzammil Aslam also attacked the opposition, saying that while earlier changes in Pakistan’s economy were initiated in Lahore, they are now starting from Peshawar.
He compared the PTI-led government’s financial management in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to the Punjab government’s handling of the economy, saying that while the former had made progress, the latter had left the country mired in debt .
Aslam further criticized the rising costs of essential goods, including food, pointing out that the forced reduction in wheat prices would likely lead to long-term negative consequences for the economy.
He highlighted the alarming number of Pakistanis leaving the country, saying 1.8 million people had been forced to emigrate.