Islamabad [Pakistan], January 11 : Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) central information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said on Friday that the economy, inflation rate and remittance flow were better under Imran Khan-led government in comparison to the current Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) dispensation, Dawn reported.
While addressing a press conference along with adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on finance Muzammil Aslam at the information department, Akram rejected the federal government's claims regarding "economic recovery" and called it "jugglery of words."
In response to the recent statements made by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and other federal ministers regarding the economic development, he said that GDP growth in 2024 was 2.4 per cent while it was at 6.5 per cent under the PTI government in 2022, Dawn reported.
He said, "Economy performed well under the PTI and not now." He said that inflation rate under PTI government was at 12 per cent while the current government boasted about reducing inflation from 38 per cent to 13 per cent which was still higher than it was under Imran Khan-led government.
Sheikh Waqas Akram said that Pakistan debt had touched Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 43 trillion when the PTI government was ousted in 2022 and it currently was at PKR 70 trillion. He stated that remittances had touched USD 32 billion in a year, while it stood at USD 27 billion.
He said that Pakistan's exports under PTI government had touched PKR USD 31 billion while it had touched USD 26 billion in 2024. He stated that the exchange rate of Pakistan rupee against the US dollar was PKR 178 in 2022, while it had increased to PKR 278.
Akram said that the poverty rate stood at 35 per cent in 2022 while it rose to 45 per cent in 2024. He said, "A recent World Bank report reveals, over 13.5 million people will slip into poverty," according to Dawn report.
Adviser to the chief minister on finance, Muzammil Aslam, said the provincial government was the first one in Pakistan to create a debt management fund. He said that the provincial government had transferred PKR 30 billion to this fund and added that debt liabilities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were PKR 725 billion.
Aslam noted that 1.8 million people of Pakistan had gone abroad since 2022 due to the dire economic situation while many others were waiting to leave the country. He revealed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had released PKR 30 billion for the Sehat Card Scheme, which was being utilised for providing free medical care to more than 900,000 people.
Muzammil Aslam said that there were 500 companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange. However, there were only five of them earning money, Dawn reported. He said that only around 100,000 people were doing business on the PSX while the rest of the people were not aware about it.