Muzamil Aslam, Adviser on Finance to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stated that petrol prices in Pakistan would have been considerably lower if the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had remained in power. He expressed concerns about the current inflationary pressures and suggested that under PTI’s continued governance, petrol prices could have been maintained around Rs200 per litre.
He highlighted that the overall economic environment would have been more stable, providing much-needed relief to the public. Comparing the present administration with the PTI era, Aslam emphasized that key economic indicators would have been more favorable during PTI’s tenure. He specifically mentioned that petrol prices would have been controlled alongside a steady exchange rate of Rs230 per US dollar.
Furthermore, he projected that electricity costs would have been approximately Rs30 per unit, and the price of flour would have remained near Rs80 per kilogram instead of the current Rs125. In a significant development, Aslam also claimed that Pakistan’s GDP could have surged to $550 billion, with an economic growth rate reaching 7 percent, a stark contrast to the present 2.8 percent.
He added that IT exports might have expanded to $6 billion, while remittances from overseas Pakistanis could have increased to $50 billion. Additionally, Aslam asserted that poverty levels would have dropped from 45 percent to 30 percent, lifting millions above the poverty threshold. He also mentioned that wages for laborers would have been 30 percent higher under PTI’s continued rule.
Notably, he pointed out ongoing development projects such as dam construction, forest expansion, and investment initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable economic growth. These efforts, he argued, would have contributed to a more prosperous and stable Pakistan.
