PM sees mafias, cartels behind high inflation

| Imran Khan tells people govt to go all-out against different cartels, mafias | Says PTI government has waged a Jihad against corruption | Warns of complete lockdown if virus rules not followed | Imran Khan cannot fight corruption alone; society carries on this fight and judiciary fights it. NAB can frame cases

ISLAMABAD  -  Prime Minister Imran Khan said Sunday that his government will go all-out against different cartels and mafias to provide immediate relief to the common man.

PM Imran Khan stated this while responding to people’s live telephone calls on PTV on Sunday. The program was also broadcast live on Radio Pakistan’s National Hookup while PBC Social Media live-streamed it from all its platforms. “Imran Khan cannot fight it alone, the society carries on this fight and the judiciary fights it. The National Accountability Bureau, which is completely independent, can frame cases,” he added. 

The Prime Minister said unfortunately, the previous governments protected these mafias; however, the present government is going to decisively act against them to rid the people of the elite capture. “We all have to decide together to go after these corrupt elements,” he emphasised.  

He said a major reason behind high inflation is this mafia that increases prices of essential commodities through hoarding. He said the government has carried out inquiry and is also going to take action against the elements involved in the price hike of sugar and flour. He said the government is fully focused to control inflation. The Prime Minister said the government is going to introduce a revolutionary agricultural policy that will address the issue of demand and supply of food items and reduce prices of essential items. 

With the use of information technology, he said, we will be able to predict shortage of any commodity timely. Imran Khan said the government will ensure provision of all commodities at utility stores at subsidised rates during Ramadan. He said Ramazan Bazaars will also be established so that people could get essential items at affordable rates.

Responding to a caller, the Prime Minister said a crackdown has also been started against the land grabbers to recover the official and private lands from this mafia. He said the government has so far retrieved government land worth 450 billion rupees from the mafia. He asked the nation to register their complaints regarding land grabbers on the PM Portal so that the government could act against them.

The Prime Minister once again urged the nation to strictly observe standard operating procedures for effective protection against the current wave of COVID-19. He said the third wave of Coronavirus is more dangerous than the first two ones; and one could protect himself in a better way by wearing a face mask.

He said we cannot go for complete lockdown keeping in view its worst effect on the livelihoods of the poor segment of the society. However, if people do not follow the SOPs and situation worsens, the government could opt for it. He said if the current trend of the virus spread persists, it will put our health system and economy under tremendous pressure.

Answering a query by a caller, the Prime Minister said his government is working to introduce universal health coverage under Sehat Insaf Card in Punjab and Balochistan on the pattern of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the program will prove to be a great revolution in the country’s health system. Imran Khan said the distribution of health cards will be completed in Punjab by the end of this year. He said we are encouraging the private sector to invest in health system that would lead to expand the network of hospitals, relieving the burden on existing government hospitals.

The Prime Minister said the PTI government has waged a Jihad against corruption and ensure rule of law in the country. He said the whole nation should help the government in this war by adopting a holistic approach. Answering to another caller, the Prime Minister said the same approach is needed in implementing the laws about crimes against children and women. 

Imran Khan said the government has launched Naya Pakistan Housing program to provide low cost housing units to the low income segment. He said in this regard, mortgage financing has been introduced to provide loans to people on soft terms for houses. 

He said the construction sector is also being fully promoted by removing barriers in their way. He said the government has introduced two mega construction projects including Ravi City and Central Business District in Lahore. He said these projects will not only save the mega city but also help in wealth creation. He said the wealth created through these projects will help us repaying debt and we will be better able to invest on public welfare projects. 

Prime Minister Imran Khan said the country’s main economic indicators are moving in the positive direction. He said besides the major achievement of turning the current account in surplus for the last seven months, the government has also succeeded to give boost to exports. He expressed confidence that with the achievement of stability in primary balance, the country will achieve economic growth in future.

Responding to a caller from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister made it clear that there can be no normalisation of relations with India until New Delhi reverses its illegal actions regarding Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir taken on August 5, 2019. He said no government in the past had fought the case of Kashmir at international forum as he did.

Expressing his resolve, Imran Khan said, “Insha’Allah we have to win this fight – a fight for the rule of law, which is vital for the country’s survival.” He said in the fight, all the corrupt elements had gathered on one platform to pull down Imran Khan’s government because it was not giving them any NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance).  The government, he said, would not spare the powerful mafia, who had encroached upon its own lands and properties. 

A Lahore-based clique had the backing of a political party, and even in past, the ministers and members of the parliament had gobbled the government’s precious lands in Punjab, he added.   The mafia, he said, also encroached upon the properties of overseas Pakistanis. 

The prime minister said a change could be brought through a consecutive struggle. There were two kinds of changes, i.e., blood revolution and a change through ballot. The judiciary is completely independent as well as NAB, which were previously controlled by the then governments, he added.  

Citing the Broadsheet Commission report, Imran Khan said Justice (retired) Shaikh Azmat Saeed’s findings had divulged that the corrupt elements were protected in the scandal. “There is difference between revolution and evolution, the latter will take time,” he maintained.  

The prime minister said for the first time, a change was being felt and no one could stop it from happening. The country in the past had only witnessed a two-party system. “Now, all stood on one platform, trying to get rid of Imran Khan’s government. It is a change. The powerful, who always enjoyed the privileged position, are feeling it. My government will not spare anyone,” he added. 

Going after such elements, he said, had never been an easy task. Almost all the developing countries had been facing the ordeal. “It is a kind of Jihad we are waging.  It’s a Jihad when you protect the feeble segments of your society,” he said.  

The prime minister said in Punjab alone, it was detected that a whooping amount of Rs 600 billion was circulated in the accounts of sugar bookies. He expressed his wonder that his political rivals did not talk about such changes, how the government had stabilized the country, its economy and rupee. “Something is happening as all the economic indicators are positive even in this pandemic,” he added. 

The changes, he said, could be felt in the automobile and construction sectors. Such changes would lift the country, even the tourism sector alone would help lift Pakistan economically, he added. For the first time in the country’s history, the current account had been in surplus for the last seven months, he said. 

The prime minister said the first year of his government was a horrible one as the country was facing an imminent default.