Imran Khan PTI

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday warned that Pakistan could face a COVID-19 crisis similar to India if people do not strictly adhere to health protocols.

According to the details, while responding to the questions of the general public, Imran Khan said the neighboring country is facing a severe shortage of oxygen for the treatment of coronavirus patients.

Imran Khan said, ‘We were able to avoid the situation that India faced, due to our policies. In the third wave, our cases are not rising but have become steady. I am sad at the situation in India.’

Imran Khan urged the masses to wear masks and follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent the spread of the virus.

‘Pakistan will head towards national lockdown if the violation of SOPs continues,’ warns the Prime Minister, adding that; ‘The use of masks reduces the spread of coronavirus by 50%.’

Pakistan-India Relations

Imran Khan while commenting about relations with India, said that till New Delhi do not reverse its August 5 decision of scrapping Article 370, the government of Pakistan will not hold any dialogue with it.

‘We raised awareness about India’s Hindutva ideology. The West lectures the world on human rights and inclusivity but does not condemn the violence against Kashmiris.,’ said the Prime Minister, adding that, ‘We will not talk to India unless it takes back its August 5 decision.’

Rule of Law

Imran Khan said that there are two types of law: rule of law, where it is equal for everyone. The law of the jungle, where the powerful get away with violating it. When Riasat-e-Madina, it doesn’t mean we will have quick solutions. Money laundering is a problem in every poor country.

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 sugar do not want the institutions to function.

Action Against Land Grabbers

The Prime Minister said he has also waged a war against the land grabbers and noose has been tightened against them. He said 21 thousand acres of land valuing 27 billion rupees has so far been recovered.

Inflation

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 the prices of electricity have a direct impact on inflation.

Economy

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 a growth of seven point five percent in large-scale manufacturing with the textile industry operating at its full capacity. He said there has been increasing in revenue collection and 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.

Imran Khan said the previous government of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) signed expensive agreements, putting a huge burden on 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, the 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 at cheaper rates, saving 300 million dollars annually.

Pakistani Embassies

The Prime Minister also praised Pakistan’s embassies and their staff members and said that they had delivered great services for Pakistan, especially when it comes to highlighting the Kashmir issue in front of the entire world.

‘I have directed embassies to start online services to overseas Pakistanis where they can register their complaints at a portal which will be set up under the supervision of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.’ Said the Prime Minister; adding that, ‘Embassies have been directed to solve two issues relating to overseas Pakistanis; to solve problems and issues raised by the Pakistani diaspora abroad and to facilitate Pakistanis abroad in investing into the country.

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