Political instability could lead to economic downfall: Ahsan Iqbal

LAHORE: Federal Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said that the country’s economy would crash if the prevailing political instability continues to exist.

While speaking to journalists and traders in Shakargarh on Sunday, Iqbal, who is also the planning and development minister, expressed concern over economic downfall, saying the country would no longer be able to carry on with investment projects if that happens.

“Political instability in the country is being created to hinder Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) from gaining victory in the upcoming general elections,” said the minister.

Iqbal further said that politics and democracy should be given its space in the country as politicians are the representatives of people.

The minister claimed that it’s because of the PML-N that Pakistan has come back on the path of progress, with projects with billions in the pipelines.

The interior minister also spoke about the major projects, saying no big water scheme was initiated in the country after the Ghazi-Barotha hydropower project.

Under the project, water from Indus River enters into a canal from Ghazi and then flows back into Indus River at Barotha after generating 1,450 megawatts of electricity on its way.

Other than the hydropower project, Iqbal said the government also bought the land for Diamer-Bhasha Dam for Rs1 billion, adding that construction of the dam would start this year.

The interior minister also said that the accumulation of weapons is useless unless the country is not economically strong.

Reminiscing the ruling party’s start of tenure, he said that the world viewed Pakistan as a dangerous country a few years earlier. “We were given charge of a miserable situation due to the corruption of Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari,” he claimed.

“Despite inheriting issues pertaining to terrorism and load-shedding, we cultivated a path to development for the country,” the minister said.

Iqbal said that development projects worth billions of dollar were employed in the country as he reminded the nation that their vote held power to decide Pakistan’s future.

Urging masses to vote for the continuation of positive policies, the federal minister warned that the success achieved in the last five years will go in vain if there is a change in power.

The interior minister, while addressing an event in Lahore on Saturday, had lamented that even Afghanistan would power ahead of Pakistan in the near future if political stability is not brought in the country.

Bemoaning that the government’s mandate was not respected, the minister had said, “If we did not bring political stability in the country, Afghanistan will surpass us as President Hamid Karzai had completed his tenure and now President Ashraf Ghani was on the course,” he had added.