Tarar Slams PTI Protest Politics, Seeks Model Project in KP

ISLAMABAD: (Special Reporter) – Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has said the government is taking several austerity measures and implementing reforms to provide relief to the people, while challenging the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to present even one model project as an example of good governance.

Talking about the government’s measures, Tarar said the prime minister had specifically directed that fares should not be increased after the provision of the relevant facility. He said several austerity measures were being implemented, while some existing measures had been continued and others were under review.

Criticising the PTI, the minister said the party should have presented examples of model governance during its long tenure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He questioned what measures the PTI had taken for the welfare of the people of the province during its 12-and-a-half years in power.

Tarar said the PTI’s calls for sit-ins were hollow and urged the party to abandon protest politics and focus on serving the people. He challenged the PTI to identify even a single project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that could be presented as a model for others.

He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had always pursued a politics of public service and had delivered projects such as Danish Schools and Metro Bus services. According to Tarar, projects initiated by the Punjab government were receiving recognition internationally, while children from Punjab were pursuing higher education at universities abroad.

The minister questioned why children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were not being provided similar opportunities for higher education.

On the economy, Tarar said the prime minister had promised to create fiscal space for salaried employees in the budget, while tax slabs for the salaried class had subsequently been reduced. He added that exporters had also appreciated the budget.

Tarar said that despite Pakistan remaining under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, the government had introduced reforms that had received appreciation at the international level.

Discussing the energy sector, he said maritime transportation had been affected by the ongoing war, but efforts were being made to minimise load-shedding by ensuring oil supplies.

He said historic reforms had been introduced in the power sector, adding that the issue of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) had been addressed to create greater space for relief to consumers. Further reforms in the power sector were also underway, he said, adding that the government was paying full attention to the sector.