ISLAMABAD  -   Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National Heritage and Culture Attaullah Tarar Friday said the national economy had not only been stabilized but now it was on the path of growth despite Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s tactics to create disorder and chaos in the country.

Addressing a press conference here, he said economic stability and growth had now started benefitting the common man. He said the price of wheat and flour and petroleum products had considerably decreased in addition to reduced electricity tariff. “Currently, all economic indicators are positive and foreign exchange reserves have crossed $ 11 billion mark, besides enhanced foreign remittances,” he added.

The Minister said that the Prime Minister was working day and night to improvise the economy, and milestones achieved on the economic front were the outcome of his efforts. He said a United Arab Emirates delegation would be visiting Pakistan to discuss prospects for investment. He said due to the efforts of the Prime Minister, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar were investing in Pakistan whereas Azerbaijan has also announced a 2 billion dollars investment in Pakistan. “The Prime Minister will leave for Saudi Arabia on November 10 to participate in the Riyadh Summit on the issue of Palestine. A detailed discussion will be held on the situation in the Middle East at the Riyadh Summit,” Tarar said.

The Minister said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had always raised the issue of Palestine and ongoing Gaza genocide at every forum including World Economic Forum and United Nations General Assembly. He said that the PM’s speech at the UNGA was the most watched speech worldwide as he had represented the sentiments of the entire Muslim Ummah. He disclosed that PM Shehbaz Sharif will also participate in the meeting of COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Lashing out at the PTI on its announcement to march towards Islamabad again, the Minister said that “Tehreek-e-Inteshar” was still sticking to its policy of creating chaos and disorder in the country. He said that the PTI was hell bent on disrupting the peace and tranquility in the country by organizing protests, just to seek concessions for its jailed leader and added they would get no NRO. He wondered why the PTI was organizing a public rally in Swabi as its past rallies in Lahore and Islamabad had proved to be fiasco and they had to cancel it altogether in Quetta.

The Minister lamented that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government was misusing its powers to suppress the rights of teachers in the province. The voice of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa teachers should be heard and their demands be accepted as the education system in the province was in ruins, he added. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he opined, the provincial government had no development agenda and no attention had been given to the affairs of the youth and added talented sports stars and innovative youth were totally ignored. He said that the only focus of the KP chief minister was on protest rallies and marches for release of the PTI founder who had been facing trial on corruption charges. He said on the one hand Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was striving for development and prosperity of the country and on the other hand, the PTI was working on an anti-state agenda to damage national interests. He said that those who attacked the vehicle of Qazi Faez Isa will be brought to justice and nobody will be allowed to indulge in such activities. He said the result of the Supreme Court Bar Election was a reflection of the legal fraternity’s support for the 26th Constitutional Amendment. He said that defeat of PTI-backed panels in Supreme Court Bar Association elections had exposed the claims of its popularity. The PTI leadership wanted Pakistan to default, but by the Grace of Allah, Pakistan had come out of its danger. They wrote letters to the International Monetary Fund, but Pakistan successfully reached an agreement with the IMF, he added.

Tarar said the PTI attacked national institutions on May 9 but failed in its agenda of weakening them. He said that the people had refused to take to streets on the call of KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur who had left party workers on roads and himself took refuge in KP House. The minister said that Pakistan cricket team’s historic victory against Australia in a one-day international match in Adelaide was encouraging. He expressed the optimism that Pakistan cricket team will soon regain its past status through hard work and commitment.

To a question, Tarar said Pakistan enjoyed time tested friendship with China and there was no impediment in its further growth in future. He said China Pakistan Economic Corridor was the lifeline of the country and with completion of its second phase, Pakistan’s relations with China will reach a new level. To another question, he said that the PTI founder had snubbed his party leaders for giving proposals for a constitutional amendment package since his sole agenda was his release from jail.

Answering a question about Donald Trump’s victory in US elections, he said that in the past the PTI had built a fake narrative of ‘absolutely not’ and now they were claiming the new US president will get Imran Khan out of jail. He ruled out any concession to jailed PTI founder by stating that he had to defend himself in courts on corruption charges and there was no other way out for him.