Industrial, agri sectors improving day by day: Asad

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umer on Tuesday said Pakistan’s industrial and agricultural sectors are improving day by day.The agricultural sector could not achieve high growth rate due to lack of modern research and unusual environmental situation, he stated in an interview with a private television channel. Commenting on revival of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, he said the COVID-19 pandemic affected many countries and this was the reason for the delay in the programme. The IMF, he said, had imposed the condition to increase power tariff.

In reply to a question about Senate elections, he said all party members would cast vote in favour of PTI candidates. To a question about awarding ticket to Faisal Vawda, the minister said the leadership has decided to keep the party member in the cabinet and Senate. To another question, he said: “We don’t have any information that Maryam Nawaz is planning to move abroad.”

About Senate elections, he said the ruling party is committed to holding Senate elections in a transparent manner. He said open balloting would be adopted to achieve the objectives. He said the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had also made discussions in the Charter of Democracy (CoD) for conducting future elections with open balloting.