Islamabad (Web Desk): Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday briefed the nation to highlight the three-year performance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI)-led government.
Addressing a ceremony at Convention Centre in Islamabad to give an insight into the efforts of his government, the premier said that the last three years were very difficult as the economy was on verge of collapse when the PTI came into power and inherited huge current account deficit of $20 billion.
Highlighting his government’s achievements, PM Imran said that his government reduced the current account deficit of $20 billion to $1.8 billion during its three years in power.
The prime minister appreciated friendly countries including United Arab Emirates (UAE), China and Saudi Arabia for providing financial assistance to Pakistan, saying that the country’s economy would have been in “very dire situation if they did not help”.
Calling his political opponents “mafias”, PM Imran said they were busy in spreading “hopelessness” because they did not want the rule of law to be established in the country.
He said his government’s main focus is to root out corruption from the country and hold influential accountable for their actions.
Khan said that in PTI’s tenure, Punjab's anti corruption has recovered Rs450bn so far.
"NAB (National Accountability Bureau), in its 18 years before we came to power, had recovered Rs290bn and in last three years they recovered Rs519bn. All hue and cry is because of this reason," the PM said.
“Afghan army did not fight against Taliban because their government was corrupt,” he remarked.
While discussing his government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, PM Imran recalled how he resisted the pressure to impose a "blanket lockdown and by the grace of Allah we were protected".
The premier said that the World Economic Forum (WEF) praised Pakistan for its handling of Covid-19, and the economist acknowledged Pakistan for being one of three countries that effectively tackled the coronavirus," he said.
"The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) team comprising Asad Umar and Dr Faisal Sultan took great decisions and we survived the worst of Covid," he said.
He also mentioned his government's social uplift schemes such as Kamyab Pakistan and Ehsaas Program, saying that the latter was rated "third best in the world" by the World Bank.
PM Imran reminded his audience of the efforts made to "empower women" in rural areas and stressed the need to educate women, adding that "this is what we are trying to do."
"We are also working on inheritance laws to ensure women get their due share in property," he added.
Regarding the progress made on construction of dams in his government, the premier said:
"Ten dams are being built which will be complete in the next 10 years, while the Mohmand dam will be complete in 2025."
The Report 2018-21, compiled by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under the patronage of its head Fawad Chaudhry, focuses the accomplishments the government has made despite the global economic recession in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Radio Pakistan reported.
The 251-page Report gives an outline of the achievements of 44 public bodies including ministries, divisions and departments, through infographics and relevant facts and figures.
During its three-year in power, PTI-led government claimed to have completed 19,000 low-cost housing units while 45,000 are under construction.
The report will be accessible at the official website of the Directorate of Electronic Media and Publication.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders have rejected the three-year performance of the government and said that the government has not even set up any mechanism for basic facilities in three years.