Govt taking decisions inevitable for saving Pakistan from default: Faisal Kundi

Islamabad: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety with the status of Minister of State Faisal Karim Kundi on Thursday said the coalition government had taken difficult decisions to save the country’s economy from default.

Addressing a presser, the SAPM said the coalition government was fully cognizant of the sufferings of the people at the hands of inflation and was committed to facilitating them.

He said the country was facing potent economic challenges due to the ineffective policies of the previous government, which made an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with endorsement from the parliament.

“The nation knows who is responsible for the current economic crisis in the country”, he said.

Imran Khan’s government played havoc with the country and its economy by taking harmful decisions.

“We are accountable to the masses and want to provide every possible relief to them as we have to contest the election but such decisions were inevitable for addressing the prevailing economic crisis”, he said.

Criticizing Imran Khan’s claims of a foreign conspiracy against him, Faisal Kundi said the PTI chairman brought defamation to the country at the international level by his “conspiracy theory” which shifted from the United States to “Rawalpindi”.

“He [Imran] is claiming that it was not the conspiracy of United States, but some other forces were behind that”, he remarked.

The SAPM highlighted that the present government was still facing challenges of reconstruction of houses for those affected by the floods especially in Sindh, Balochistan, southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab.

Commenting on the Jail Bharo Tehreek (fill the prison movement), Faisal Kundi said the person who was talking of the movement was himself sacred of appearing before the court.

“Why Imran Khan is scared of appearing before the court if he is not involved in any corruption,” he asked.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) did not believe in the politics of political victimization but “Imran Khan’s own actions will lead him to disqualification and send him to prison”, he said.

Despite facing political victimization by the PTI-led government during its tenure, PPP was always ready to sit at the table of dialogue with them for the larger interest of the country, Faisal Kundi added.

The SAPM said Imran Khan never told the masses in any of his speeches what he delivered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where he ruled for nine years.

Terming the agriculture sector as the backbone of the country, he said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced a special package to promote the sector despite the economic crisis.

He said the government had also increased the budgetary allocations for Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) from Rs 360 billion to Rs 400 billion. “The BISP is going to launch a dynamic survey to register poorer households in the programme this month.”

Responding to a question, Faisal Kundi said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would decide on the party’s participation in the bye-elections, and all members would follow his call.

To another question, the PM aide said 60 to 70 percent of cabinet members were not withdrawing salaries and benefits and had been working on honorary positions.