ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday continued to boast about the supposed achievements of his party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during its first rule, saying the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was elected for a second term in the province as it “successfully reduced poverty” there.

In an apparent response to the opposition’s persistent verbal attacks questioning the PTI’s alleged poor performance, the PM quoted a UNDP report that he claimed had mentioned KP as the only province in the country where the provincial government had successfully reduced poverty (during its first term). Due to this, the people of KP voted for the PTI again in the 2018 elections, APP quoted him as saying.

“The PTI government’s performance will be judged in the 2023 elections on the basis of its measures to reduce poverty. It would be a great success of the government if we lift people out of poverty,” he said optimistically while speaking at the launch of Raast, an instant digital payment system developed by the State Bank of Pakistan. The initiative would enable people-to-people transactions and facilitate free digital banking.

Meanwhile, in a post-cabinet meeting press conference, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said confidently that the opposition would fail yet again if it indeed managed to move a no-confidence motion against the PTI government.

Minister says govt not intimidated by opposition’s plans to move no-trust motion

Addressing the launch event, PM Khan underlined the need for bringing the entire population into the formal economy through modern technology.

Reiterating how his government managed to tackle Covid-19, he said the pandemic had affected the global population alike, but his government took measures to save the people from an economic meltdown and inflation. He also recalled how saving rates and the tax-to-GDP ratio were low in Pakistan as compared to the rest of the world.

Regarding the steps being taken to increase tax revenue, he said the Federal Board of Revenue was ensuring the use of technology, as only two million people out of the entire population paid taxes. They had collected data of the delinquents, he added.

Mr Khan also talked about further facilitating the overseas Pakistanis, whom he called “valuable assets”, suggesting the establishment of a cell to ease sending of remittances to Pakistan.

While stressing efforts to ensure direct financial support to the lower segments of society through modern technology, the PM cited the rolling out of Ehsaas ration programme for the purpose.

Post-cabinet meeting presser

Mr Chaudhry, meanwhile, said the government was not afraid of the opposition’s no-confidence motion as it would be the “13th abortive attempt of the corrupt opposition leadership” that he claimed will face imprisonment for plundering national wealth.

“They don’t have the courage to move a no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan,” the minister said in a post-cabinet meeting press conference.

However, government sources told Dawn that the PM and many of his close aides believed the opposition could manage to bring a no-confidence motion against National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri.

Another source said the rulers were confident the opposition won’t be able to move a no-confidence motion against the PM, and if it did, the situation would become quite difficult for Mr Khan.

“The opposition would fail in its attempt to move a no-trust motion, as they are going to land in jail for their loot and plunder of national wealth. They should first save themselves from that,” he remarked, adding that the opposition had made “13 abortive attempts” to oust the “democratically elected government”.

“It is evident from the fact that all the main opposition parties, including the JUI-F, the PML-N and PPP, are relegated to some division. On the other hand, the PTI has a vote bank across the country,” he claimed.

The minister asked whether Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz or president Shehbaz Sharif had the ability to overthrow the government.

“They are united not to oust the government, but to hamper the ongoing accountability drive aimed at recovery of the national wealth they looted. It has proved the prime minister’s prediction that all the thieves would unite once the law takes its course against them,” he added.

The minister said the government desired live broadcast of the proceedings of all major corruption cases so the public and the media would know how corruption was committed in a systematic way.

He said Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib would move a resolution in the National Assembly for a comprehensive debate on live broadcast of the cases against Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2022