MULTAN: The economic hardships were temporary, as the government was trying its best to strengthen the country’s economy, a senior official said.

Talking to people, hailing from his constituency NA-156, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the government was well-aware of the difficulties and problems of the masses.

“Poverty alleviation is [the] top priority of the incumbent government,” he said.

Ehsas Programme, Health Card Scheme and some other policies of the government would surely help reduce poverty and provide maximum relief to the poor people, Qureshi said.

The country was heading towards industrial development, which would surely help provide more jobs to the unemployed persons, besides strengthening the national economy, Qureshi said.

Responding to inflation, the foreign minister said it was due to the ill-conceived policies of the previous rulers.

Criticising the opposition, Qureshi said that those who chanted the slogan “sanctity of vote”, actually violated the dignity of voters.

What both the PPP and PML-N had given to voters during the last 30 years of their rule? He questioned. The PPP and PML-N looted the national treasury and damaged the voters economically.

The leaders of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) were making noise to conceal their corruption and avoid the process of accountability, Qureshi said.

The present government; however, is committed to hold looters accountable, whether they belong to any political party or group.

The corrupt persons would have to face indiscriminate accountability process, he said, adding that the economic diplomacy was launched to attract foreign investment.

Instructions have been issued to diplomatic missions to bring the investors to Pakistan from across the globe.

“Pakistan is an attractive country for investment. The more foreign investment we have, the more employment opportunities there will be,” Qureshi added.

Earlier, the foreign minister attended various events in the city, including “Seerat-un-Nabi (SAW) Conference” at Police Lines.