ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has said that it is the top-most priority of the incumbent government to check price hike.
Talking to a private news channel, the planning minister said that the devaluation of the Pakistani rupee at the international market is the real cause of increasing prices of edible items in the country, however, due to prudent policies of the government, inflation is on the decline nowadays.
He stated that food and beverages are becoming more expensive in the global market, and controlling inflation is the government’s top priority.
He stressed that the economy is improving, jobs are also being created, and the statistics have been running very positively for the last two months. However, he feared that the target of 10 million jobs might not be possible to achieve.
The minister said that coronavirus has downed the global economy and Pakistan is emerging from this difficult time. The government is trying to create jobs.
Replying to a question, Asad said that the government had tried to bring reforms in the electoral system, but the opposition parties did not extend support in this regard. The minister vowed that the government will continue its efforts to bring reforms in the electoral system to ensure transparency in the elections process.
Asad also said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) candidate would have won the Senate chairman election if the opposition had accepted the government’s proposed electoral reforms.
He said that everyone must unite for the betterment of the system. He said the government cannot pass a law without the support of the opposition, legislation can be done through the legislature. “We need opposition for a constitutional amendment. The electoral reform bill was introduced several months ago,” he added.
“We did not get support from the Election Commission regarding electoral reforms. When the case was heard in the Supreme Court, it remarked that it would consider it for the next elections,” he added.
Answering yet another question, he stated that the provincial governments should hold the local bodies elections because it is essential for the development of the provinces. He said that local body candidates in Sindh do not have any authority.
