Inflation reduced, claims PM Imran

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday said the government’s efforts to reduce inflation were producing results and consumer price index and core inflation both were lower than the day when his government was formed. Through a tweet, the prime minister shared this information saying, “more good news on the economic front. Our efforts to reduce inflation are now showing results. Consumer price index & core inflation are both now lower than when our government was formed.

“I have told my economic team to stay vigilant & ensure that inflation stays under control,” the PM added.

Also, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said that inflation was continuing to decline in the country.

In a tweet on Sunday, he said during the current month, inflation on consumer price index (CPI) was down to 5.7 per cent, while the core inflation was at 5.4 per cent.

Asad Umar said prior to the PTI government formation, in July 2018, the CPI was 5.8 per cent, while the core was 7.6 per cent, indicating that the rate of inflation was lower today than prior to the PTI government.

Separately, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said people were still suffering due to ill-conceived and anti-people policies of the previous government. He said the PTI government had made pro-people policies, which were producing good results and making lives of people better.

However, various opposition leaders including Pakistan Muslim League-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, Pakistan People’s Party leader Nayyer Bukhari and others rejected the prime minister’s claims about lowering of inflation in the country.

They said people were dying and committing suicides due to ever-increasing prices of daily-use items. They said Prime Minister Imran Khan should get out of his palace Banigala and visit markets and bazaars himself to look for himself that price-hike had made life miserable for people. They said inflation had pushed hundreds of thousands of people below the poverty line.

PML-N Secretary Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s lie about the Transparency International’s CPI index is proof of his being a compulsive liar.

In a statement Sunday, she said the corruption of the ‘imposed looters’ was gobbling the country up from its core and weakening its very foundation like a termite nest. She said Imran had made the country a free-for-all ‘corruption house’ for himself, his corrupt cabinet and his mafia front men.

The former information minister said Imran and his rented mouthpieces were caught red-handed lying and attempting to blame the PML-N and the Nawaz Sharif government. She said Imran shamelessly and blatantly lied that the Corruption Perception Index increase was from the PML-N government tenure whereas the truth had shattered their lies that it was the fruit of their looting spree in government. She said Imran not only lied himself but tasked his army of rented spokespersons to propagate the same lie.

She said Imran still hadn’t answered why the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) had shot up from 117 to 124 under his so-called anti-corruption government. The looters, dishonest and anti-people had brought a tsunami of corruption to the country. She said in the ‘Naya Pakistan’ nothing gets done without bribery and corruption at every step from a child’s admission to healthcare at public hospitals. From electricity, gas, medicines, sugar, wheat, flour, education, tree plantation to COVID-19, every sector had become a cesspool of corruption. She said the corruption index would obviously increase when the selected premier changes the law just to legalise his Banigala property; when he becomes an enabler of Rs400 billion sugar theft, Rs215 billion in flour theft, Rs122 billion in LNG and Rs500 billion in public sector medicines. Marriyum said Imran’s fake anti-corruption narrative to persecute opponents while minting trillions of rupees in corruption himself had been exposed.

Separately, PPP Secretary General Nayyer Bukhari said that the country could not be run by hurling threats and abuses but through responsible attitude.

“Imran Khan cannot correct his attitude but should care the office of prime minister, which he assumes,” he said in a response to the prime minister’s tweet with regard to the economic situation of the country.

The PPP secretary general said those who falsely claimed the economic growth were exposed by the international reports. He said the person whose kitchen was run by the richest of richest could not realise what the price-hike was.

He said it was proved that Imran Khan is the selected PM who is insensitive to the problems being faced by the common man due to price-hike. “He should come out from the comfort zone of Banigala empire and should visit the markets to realise the sufferings of the people due to price-hike,” he said.

He said more people falling below the poverty line while rulers were going high and high to cross the line of richer.

The PPP leader said all profitable corporations had been handed over to the kith and kin. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan and his associates were responsible for worsening of the economy of the country. “Those who have to face the accountability had gathered under the umbrella of the rulers, who were protecting them,” he said.

He said hoarding was going on while the people were facing price-hike, unemployment and high tariffs of power, gas and petrol. “The people were committing suicide due to price-hike and unemployment while rulers were making more and more money,” he added.

Separately, another announcement said the prime minister will answer questions from the public directly on Monday (today) evening.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Senator Shibli Faraz said in a tweet the PM would answer questions. People may dial phone number: 051, 9210809, which will become functional at 4pm.

In another tweet, he said, “Saddened to learn about Shahid Gondal's passing. He was one of our most loyal workers, who stood with us during our struggle against the political mafias. My condolences & prayers go to his family.”