4pc GDP growth has perplexed opposition parties: Farrukh

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib Sunday said the remarkably increased 4 percent growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), achieved by the PTI government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, had totally perplexed the opposition parties.

Reacting on a statement of PPP Chairman Bilawal Zardari, Farrukh Habib said Prime Minister Imran Khan had steered the country out of a debt-ridden economy and transformed it into an export and production-oriented economy on strong footing.

He said today Bilawal and Zardari were recognised for their corrupt practices, fake accounts and money laundering. He added the Sindh government's Rs700 billion projects, which were to be executed during the current fiscal year, could not be spotted on the ground. “Perhaps these schemes are being carried out on some other planet,” he remarked.

Farrukh Habib was of the view that the Sindh government should stop getting credit for the projects launched by donor organisations including World Bank and Asian Development Bank. He said when Bilawal was asked to take necessary measures for getting rid of stray dogs and locusts, he gave practical demonstration by buying new luxury cars.

Farrukh said 35 percent of the budget of the Sindh was allocated for health and education sectors, but ambulances and education facilities were being provided by non-governmental organisations. He alleged that jobs were being sold in Sindh on fake domiciles and residential certificates in connivance with the provincial government.

Before PPP’s entry into politics, he said, there was no word of ‘corruption’ in the dictionary of the Pakistani people, declaring it a ‘world champion’ in corruption. He said the corrupt practices of the PPP had damaged the country’s reputation at international level.

The minister said giving lectures on economy did not suit those who remained indulged in corruption and damaged the national economy throughout their life.

Farrukh Habib Sunday said that the perpetrators of contempt of court by attacking the Supreme Court, pushing judges and their families through their ministers should not give the PTI government contempt of court certificates.

“Despite attacks, border tensions with India, PDM blackmail, mistrust, politics of resignations, blackmailing challenges on FATF, Imran Khan with a commitment to get the country's growth out of credit cards has stabilised economy and made it moving in the right direction. Now it seems to us that one day the PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb will come in front of the media and say that Nawaz Sharif has dreamed of building a bulb, a wheel and Pakistan,” he said.

Farrukh said that he was surprised to hear the words of Marriyum Aurangzeb how she was trying unsuccessfully to mislead the people by lying repeatedly and PML-N has become a ‘lie brigade’.

“The fake growth of PML-N has been exposed. PML-N has experience in money laundering, corruption and fabrication of lies. PML-N should respond to allegations of corruption instead of politics on the economy. The data released by the National Accounts Committee regarding the country's economy, the growth of the economy has progressed to 3.9 percent. Seeing this, the opposition is confused. Imran Khan has put the economy in the right direction,” he noted.