LAHORE  -  Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari has strongly denied reports about a deficit in the provincial government’s first fiscal quarter, and released an official document to clarify the matter.

She said that by the end of this year, the Punjab government would have a surplus of 680 billion rupees. The IMF had acknowledged that the deficit report concerning Punjab was incorrect, and it would soon be updated on the IMF’s website.

She mentioned that the Punjab government had already recorded a surplus of Rs. 40 billion in the first quarter. The IMF had confirmed that, noting that Punjab was in a surplus of Rs. 40 billion for the first quarter and that the province had an investment of Rs. 200 billion.

During a meeting, the IMF admitted that the deficit reports regarding the Punjab province were erroneous and that they would be corrected.

The information minister also condemned false propaganda about the Punjab government being in a deficit. She highlighted that under Maryam Nawaz’s leadership, for the first time since 1952, the overdue wheat debt had been cleared. Additionally, since Maryam Nawaz became the chief minister, Punjab’s debt had seen a significant reduction. She urged the media to avoid spreading fabricated news.