LOWER DIR/MALAKAND: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday again lashed out at the main opposition figures, accusing them of looting the national wealth and bringing the country to the verge of bankruptcy.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a new academic block at University of Malakand, the prime minister alleged that former premier Nawaz Sharif and ex-president Asif Ali Zardari had looted the country for the last 30 years.

Mr Khan said that when he came to power the country was on the verge of bankruptcy and thanked friendly countries for bailing Pakistan out. “When the rupee falls, inflation comes,” he said, adding that the country would have witnessed more inflation had the friends of Pakistan not helped.

PM Khan said his government had paid interest of more than Rs6,000 billion, adding that the PML-N government had paid Rs2,000bn as interest on loans. He said the country faced difficulty in spending more on education and health due to increasing foreign loans.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, federal Minister for Communications Murad Saeed, University of Malakand Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Gul Zaman, MNAs, faculty members and selected students were in attendance.

Imran inaugurates three tunnels on Swat Motorway

The prime minister said the completion of Al-Qadir University in September would boost the standard of education in the country, adding that NUML University would become the Oxford University of Pakistan.

About his government’s reforms agenda, PM Khan said new techniques were being introduced in the agriculture sector and the promotion of olive plantation would help decrease import of cooking oil. He said he had invited agriculturists from Canada who would devise an adoptable policy in agriculture.

He said Pakistan had enough potential in tourism which could generate additional revenue for the national exchequer if the sector was properly managed and developed. “Domestic tourism is increasing in Pakistan, that is a good sign,” the prime minister said, adding that people would like to visit Swat and other scenic areas in summer only, but now millions of Pakistanis were visiting these places even in winter.

“Tourism development will enable us to get rid of foreign loans,” he said, adding that development of the sector would provide jobs to many people. He said Malaysia earned $20bn and Turkey $40bn from tourism.

Earlier, Prime Minister Khan inaugurated three tunnels on Swat Motorway. He unveiled the plaque to mark the inauguration and also inspected the completed tunnels near Chakdara.

Communications Minister Murad Saeed, KP Governor Shah Farman, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, MNA Junaid Akbar, MPAs Shakeel Khan and Fazal Hakeem and Director General of Frontier Works Organisation Maj Gen Kamal Azfar were also present. The FWO director general welcomed the prime minister at Ala-Dhand interchange and presented him a souvenir.

The prime minister reached the interchange on Swat Motorway and University of Malakand in a helicopter amid tight security. The local administration closed the motorway for public transport and markets in Chakdara during his visit. Local activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf were not allowed to enter the venue where the functions were held.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2021