Punjab Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz said that Pakistan is in a position to “take off” despite the criticism of the opposition, since he accused the Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) of promoting chaos and damaging the economy.
Speaking at a checking ceremony for the CM Punjab Asaan Karobaar program, Maryam said the Pakistani were witnessing improvements in their lives. “The people of Pakistan are tired of violence and chaos,” he said.
She criticized the previous government led by PTI for promoting inflation at 38%, claiming that their policies scared foreign investors.
Highlighting the infrastructure initiatives of his government, Maryam said Punjab was currently building 700 roads. In an apparent reference to the founder of PTI, Imran Khan, he ruled out criticism that road construction does not contribute to economic growth.
“If road construction does not bring development, can they besiege and burn it?” She asked. She said the young people now understood who was responsible for their struggles.
“It is very easy to accuse someone and throw insults,” he said, adding that “time changed quickly, and that person is now locked in the Adial prison,” in a clear reference to Imran Khan.
Maryam said that Pakistan could not afford more political chaos, warning that the breach that progress would push many young people to despair.
“The opposition cannot digest the progress of Punjab … its policy has reached the point of slapping ourselves,” he said, referring to the recent physical altercation between Fawad Chaudhry and lawyer Shoaib Shaheen.
When discussing the ASAAN Karobaar program, Maryam said the Punjab government was providing interest -free loans that vary from RS1 million to RS30 million to help companies grow. “Loans are provided with 100% merit … favoritism will not work,” he said.
She acknowledged that employment creation was a challenge, but insisted that the economy had improved in the last year, with the standard of living people. “When we came to power, the inflation rate was 38%, which has now been reduced to 4%,” he said.
The Punjab government has received 185,000 applications for commercial loans, he added, stating that as companies grow, employment opportunities will increase.
