Govt repaid $12.27b loan this year, claims Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Tuesday said the incumbent government had returned foreign debt worth the $12.27 billion this year alone and about the $12.5 billion would be due next year.

He said that overall during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI)’s five-year term in office, total debt payments would be around $55 billion as compared to the $ 27 billion paid by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz regime in five years.

Earlier today, in response to one of the tweets about PTI’s defeat in KP LB elections, the minister said that if extremist parties like Jamat-e-Ulema Islam were an alternative to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf then there was some worth of his statement, he tweeted.

“In such a situation, the leadership and workers of PTI should put aside their personal differences and organize themselves under the leadership of Imran Khan,” said Fawad.

Read more: Wrong selection of candidates PTI’s mistake in K-P LG polls: Imran Khan

According to unofficial and unconfirmed results of 16 tehsils out of 65, Jamiat Ulema e Islam-F (JUI-F) is leading the elections with its candidates winning in seven tehsils, the PTI’s candidates have won in five tehsils, the Awami National Party won three tehsil seats and Pakistan Muslim League-N won in one tehsil only.

K-P Minister for Labour and Culture Shaukat Ali Yousafzai said the PTI was defeated because of inflation. Hopefully, the inflation would subside in the next few months, he said.

PTI MPA Muhammed Atif Khan said his party did not receive votes because people were worried due to inflation. “I don’t see any other reason. People are upset because of inflation. It is an international issue and we realise it,” he said.