Khan addressed the nation on Monday amid criticism of his government for failing to control inflation. The opposition had also targeted him for traveling to Russia in the midst of the Ukraine conflict.
Petrol prices cut by 10 and electricity prices by five PKR
In his address, Khan announced reduction of petroleum prices by 10 PKR per liter and electricity prices by 5 PKR per unit. “We have decided not to increase the prices of petroleum and electricity till the next budget (end of June).
He also announced 100 per cent tax exemption on IT income by companies and freelancers and 100 per cent exemption on capital gains tax for IT startups. To promote industrial development, Khan announced that no questions would be asked about the sources of income on investments made in the industrial sector.
Graduates will get 30 thousand rupees every month under internship program
He increased the cash assistance for poor families from PKR 12,000 to PKR 14,000 and announced an internship program for graduates under which each graduate would be paid PKR 30,000 per month.
Talking about independent foreign policy, Khan said that he is fortunate to be born in a free country. “From the day I entered politics, I wanted a free and independent foreign policy. It means a nation drafts a policy that benefits the country,” he said.
He reiterated that Pakistan’s decision to engage in the US war on terrorism was wrong and for the first time in history a country was fighting in support of a country that was bombing the same. Khan criticized his predecessors for failing to take a stand against US drone strikes.
Criticized the former rulers of Pakistan
He said the former rulers of Pakistan were afraid to criticize the US as they had deposited their wealth in western countries. He said the assets of Russian billionaires abroad have been confiscated after the attack on Ukraine. He said, “I want to tell my country that if you want an independent foreign policy, you should never vote for a party whose leaders have assets abroad. They will never draft an independent foreign policy. Won’t prepare.”
justified a trip to Russia
Justifying his visit to Russia, he said that along with importing wheat, Pakistan needs cooperation in the energy sector. We need to import 200000 tonnes of wheat from Russia. He said that we also have a shortage of gas and Russia has a lot of gas reserves.
Amendment in PECA defended
He has officially stated that wars cause more damage to third world countries. Khan urged the warring sides to show restraint and resolve the difference through dialogue. He also defended the amendment to the Pakistan Electronic Offenses Act (PECA), 2016 and rejected criticism that it was being used to curtail media freedom.
He said, “Three years ago some journalist wrote that my wife left me and I filed a case against this fake news, but I have not got justice till now.” He said laws are being changed to control fake news and these changes have nothing to do with curbing press freedom, as alleged by media organizations and opposition parties.
Significantly, the measures to reduce the prices came after the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) launched a protest against Khan’s government in Karachi on Sunday. PPP chief Bilwal Bhutto Zardari has announced to travel to Islamabad with his supporters to demand Khan’s resignation. Other opposition parties including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) have also announced to start their protest march from March 23.
The minister, in an official announcement, said a few days ago that his ministry was selected as number one among the top 10 ministries for its excellent performance, but made the achievement controversial by using material from Reham’s book published in 2018. The minister said that Reham never denied certain references to her book that were leaked before it was published. Later false allegations were leveled against Murad Sayeed with reference to his book.
Earlier this month, Saeed had filed a case of cyber crime against Mohsin Baig, editor-in-chief of ‘Daily Jinnah’ and ‘Online News Agency’. Saeed had accused him of “character assassination” during a program of a private TV channel.