PPP to go to polls on basis of performance: Kaira

Islamabad: Minister for Information Qamar Zaman Kaira on Thursday expressed the confidence that Pakistan Peoples Party would again emerge victorious in the upcoming general elections as it would go to masses on the basis of its performance.

Briefing the media after the 130th meeting of the federal cabinet here, he said that when PPP came into power, Pakistan was facing a host of challenges but the prudent policies of the government put the country on the road to progress.

He said that during the past five years, the government tried its best to solve people’s problems adding that it was the PPP government which revived economy.”During these five years, country’s revenue witnessed an unprecedented upsurge. Inflation was brought down from 25% to the single digit of 7%.,” he said.

Kaira said that he was proud that he belonged to a party which had given unmatchable sacrifices for the country but never compromised with terrorists. He said that today situation in Balochistan was different from the time when PPP came into power. “Today the political parties of Balochistan are preparing to participate in the upcoming general elections.”

To a question he said that although the government had serious reservations on Election Commission’s decision to stop funds for the ongoing development projects but it obeyed the decision. He said the government was of the view that till the dissolution of assemblies, the government was bound to serve the masses and Parliament to do legislation.

Answering another question, he said that from 1994 to 2007 not a single mega watt of electricity was added to the national grid adding that Mian Nawaz should also tell the nation that when his party was in power what steps were taken in this regard.

Kaira also termed the names forwarded by Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ahmed Khan for the caretaker Prime Minister “a joke” and said that one of the names proposed by him was a person whom they (PML-N) had been criticizing in the past.

To another question he said that the credit to sign Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline goes to the PPP. “Signing of the project is a remarkable achievement of the government and we will also present this achievement before masses in our election campaign,” he added.

Kaira agreed that prices registered an increase during the past few years but said that the government on the other hand also increased the salaries of employees. He said the country had achieved food security due to steps taken by the government. He also mentioned that the present government conducted poverty survey to disburse money among masses under BISP.