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Pakistan's finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, has outlined the substantial economic losses caused by opposition-led protests, as reported by ARY News on Monday.
Addressing a press conference amid the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's planned protest to Islamabad in a final call for the release of its founder and former premier Imran Khan from prison, Aurangzeb stressed the significant financial toll these protests are taking, calling for political stability to protect the nation's economy. He revealed that the daily financial damage from opposition-led protests and lockdowns exceeds PKR 190 billion, as reported by ARY News. He explained that these disruptions interfere with tax collection, hinder business operations, and negatively affect exports. Additional costs are also incurred for maintaining law and order during the protests, ARY News reported. The finance minister further noted that sectors like IT and telecommunications face their own economic challenges, with shutdowns disrupting social and digital activities. A report by the Pakistan's Ministry of Finance showed that protests resulted in a daily GDP loss of PKR 144 billion, with export reductions contributing PKR 26 billion to the losses and a drop in foreign direct investment costing an additional PKR 3 billion, ARY News reported. Aurangzeb added that provincial economies also suffer, with losses in the agricultural sector reaching PKR 26 billion daily and the industrial sector losing over PKR 20 billion. Earlier, Pakistan's Minister for Petroleum, Dr Musadik Malik, criticized PTI leadership, accusing them of showing little interest in securing the release of their leader, Imran Khan. Malik emphasized that the government's priority is addressing public issues, pointing to measures that have reduced inflation and driven the stock market to historic highs. He also called for national unity against extremism, highlighting the ongoing struggles of people in Parachinar of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where locals are protesting with the bodies of their deceased, while KP's Chief Minister, Ali Amin Gandapur, has not responded. Malik also criticized Gandapur for attempting to attack Punjab and Islamabad and questioned the absence of senior PTI leaders in rallies across Punjab, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Gujranwala. "What happened to his Do-or-Die rally today? There are voices everywhere saying 'Arrest me, take me in.' Where are all the senior PTI leaders? No rallies are visible in Punjab, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Gujranwala," Malik said. (ANI)
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