Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has strongly criticized the federal government’s recently released Economic Survey, calling it a reflection of economic mismanagement that allegedly drove 30 million people below the poverty line over the past three years.
At a press conference, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram, accompanied by Leader of the Opposition Omar Ayub Khan, said Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presented the report in an “apologetic tone,” unable to justify what they termed as “a collapsed economy.”
Akram pointed out the irony that those who had once questioned PTI’s 6.5% growth rate are now defending their own performance, which he claimed barely achieved 1.5% growth over three years. He noted that inflation remains above 11%, yet the finance minister skipped these figures in his opening remarks.
Addressing the power crisis, Akram said rising electricity costs had forced people toward solar energy, while Ayub claimed the PTI had better controlled the energy sector during its tenure.
On agriculture, Akram criticized the reported 40% growth in livestock, calling it “statistical manipulation,” especially when overall agricultural performance declined by 13%. He blamed “anti-farmer policies,” not natural disasters, for the downturn and said 37% of the population tied to agriculture was suffering.
Omar Ayub further mocked the current government’s claims, stating, “All crop production is in the negative, but only the donkey population has increased.”
Highlighting the cost-of-living crisis, the opposition leaders said the purchasing power of Rs50,000 in 2022 has dropped to Rs20,833. Quoting Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data, they noted tea prices have surged by 74%.
Both leaders underscored rising emigration as a national concern. Akram warned that more Pakistanis would leave due to economic despair, while Ayub said 3.2 million had already emigrated in recent years, driven by inflation, joblessness, and falling purchasing power.
PTI concluded that the current leadership had failed to address the real economic challenges and claimed even government lawmakers were now avoiding their constituents.
