No relaxation or NRO will be given to any mafia or corrupt elements: PM

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan has categorically stated that no relaxation or NRO will be given to any mafia or corrupt elements.

Interacting with the public over the telephone on Tuesday, he however assured that no injustice will be done with anybody.

The Prime Minister expressed the optimism that his struggle against corrupt mafia and for the establishment of rule of law will succeed, which will turn Pakistan into a great nation.

He asked the people to stand by his struggle which is aimed at bringing the powerful under the law.

The Prime Minister said those who plundered the nation over the last thirty years do not want supremacy of the constitution and law.  He said mafias in different sectors including in the sugar do not want the institutions to function.

Imran Khan said the present government believes in the rule of law and it is not interfering in the matters of judiciary and the National Accountability Bureau.

The Prime Minister said he has also waged a war against the land grabbers and noose has been tightened against them. He said twenty one thousand acres of land valuing twenty seven billion rupees has so far been recovered.

When asked about the price hike, the Prime Minister said he has brought Shaukat Tarin as the Finance Minister with the responsibility to bring down the prices of essential commodities and take the economy towards growth. He said we have kept the petrol prices and diesel lower as we realize that no more burden can be put on the masses. He said prices of electricity has direct impact on the inflation. He said the previous government of PML-N signed expensive agreements, putting a huge burden of capacity payments. He said these payments were around 180 billion rupees in 2013, which swelled to 484 billion rupees in 2018 and now this amount is standing at 900 billion rupees. He said under the international agreements, government is bound to procure electricity even if it does not require so. He said we convinced the Independent Power Producers and managed to reduce the amount of capacity payment to the tune of 132 billion rupees. Similarly, the Prime Minister said we imported LNG from Qatar on cheaper rates, saving 300 million dollars annually.

On the economic front, the Prime Minister said the government inherited a difficult economic situation with record deficits. He, however, said the present government has laid the foundation for the prosperity of the country. He said our foreign exchange reserves have reached 15.6 billion dollars. There is growth of seven point five percent in the large scale manufacturing with textile industry operating at its full capacity. He said there has been increase in revenue collection and the exports.

The Prime Minister said eleven hundred billion rupees have gone to the farmers this year due to the government’s pro agriculture policy.  He said the government will soon announce a long-term plan for the agriculture sector. He said we saved both the economy and the people during the difficult times of COVID-19.

Discussing the COVID-19 situation, the Prime Minister once again appealed the people to strictly follow the SOPs to contain the spread of the pandemic. He was confident that Pakistan will come out of the third wave of COVID-19 if the people observed the SOPs during the Eid holidays. He said we are also holding discussions for domestic manufacturing of anti Covid vaccine and the nation will soon hear good news in this regard.

Responding to a query of a caller, the Prime Minister categorically stated that Pakistan will not hold talks with India until it rescinds the illegal steps of 5th August 2019.

He said international media is now also writing against Hindutva policy of Modi government after the present government raised it effectively at the international level. He voiced his concerns over the maltreatment of Muslims and other minorities in India. He said our foreign office has raised Jammu and Kashmir dispute in an excellent manner.

The Prime Minister said border markets are being opened with Iran and Afghanistan saying this will provide legal trade opportunities to the local population.