'3 years of Naya Pakistan': PM Imran briefs nation on PTI's performance so far

As the PTI government completes three years in power, Prime Minister Imran Khan is presenting to the nation a review of his party's performance so far at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad.

The prime minister began the speech by welcoming "all our chief ministers, governors and the leaders of AJK who have just been elected" before commending Sindh Governor Imran Ismail for singing his famous "Tabdeeli" song prior to his speech.

"I'm no sure if he has more talent for singing or governance," PM Imran said about the governor.

He then recalled the time when his party was nascent and "had just five to six people who were mocked for being PTI representatives".

He then harked back to his career as a cricketer, explaining how his life as a sportsman, "where there are standing ovations one moment and curses the next", prepared him for a life of struggles.

"Until you go through struggles, you cannot do anything big," the prime minister said. "No leader became big with a shortcut. Quaid-e-Azam was a big leader. He struggled in his life and people will always remember him [for that]."

PM Imran then detailed the struggles his government faced on the economic front over the first three years of their mandated five-year tenure, saying he had inherited a country heading towards bankruptcy.

"We had no capital to settle loans. We had no foreign exchange. The current account deficit we faced was of $20 billion. If Saudi Arabia, China and UAE had not helped us at the time, rupee would have declined further and caused us some real damage," he said.

"We had to go to the IMF and whoever you acquire loan from they set [certain] conditions," he added.

The prime minister then mentioned the country's tiff with India in the aftermath of Pulwama incident and thanked the armed forces for their part. "I appreciate our army and air force. As they (Indian fighter jets) came into our territory and launched an offensive, we realised the [power] of our army."

Without naming any names, the premier accused a "mafia" of defaming state institutions, particularly the army. "I also criticised the army in the past," he said. "Judiciary and army also make mistakes but it doesn't mean we should [expect] them to topple the democratic government.

"We know the Indian lobby is trying hard to defame Pakistan Army. They are implying that the Taliban won because of Pakistan Army."

'PTI govt first to present performance report'

Earlier, PTI Senator Faisal Javed Khan said in a tweet that the PTI government was the first to present a performance report to the public on a regular basis.

According to Radio Pakistan, the prime minister will launch a performance report which will give an insight into the performance of each ministry.

Report 2018-21 has been compiled by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and "focuses [on] the accomplishments the government has made despite the global economic recession in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic," the report said.

It added the report was 251 pages long and outlined the "achievements of 44 public bodies, including ministries, divisions and departments, through infographics and relevant facts and figures".

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The report will be accessible at the official website of the Directorate of Electronic Media and Publication, according to Radio Pakistan.

Referring to the launch of the report, Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the PTI "can proudly present its performance of [the past] three years to the nation".

Taking a dig at the opposition, he questioned how many governments in Pakistan had been accountable in the past. "Those who ruled for thirty years are hiding their faces," he said.

"Three years [of performance in the areas of the] economy, foreign policy and internal stability will bring facts to light today."

Azhar Mashwani, Punjab chief minister's focal person for digital media, said that Insaf Youth Wing activists will be live streaming the premier's speech in seven cities, including Gilgit, Karachi, Multan, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Hyderabad.

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