Islamabad (Staff Report): Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday that the decision to devalue the rupee against the US dollar was taken by the State Bank of Pakistan.
"Please remember, we are trying to make institutions autonomous," PM Khan said while speaking to a group of journalists from various TV channels. "We have made SBP autonomous, they took the decision because they deem it fit," he added.
He said the previous PML-N government had left a trade deficit of $19 billion, which increased from a previous deficit of $2.5 billion.
"The PML-N government had spent $7 billion to maintain the value of rupee," he said.
"We want such a system in which policies are [made] for the lower class," the prime minister said. "We are bringing health cards to the whole country and working on improving public hospitals."
He said he wants to change the system of elitism to the one that supports the underprivileged.
"There are better education institutes for elite, good justice system for elites. The rich can afford good lawyers, they can even get away with robbery while the poor can't get justice in time," Khan said.
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"Likewise for jobs, people from elite institutions get jobs easily. So, we’re bringing reforms, uniform education systems, then health cards for medical care and legal aid for those who can’t afford."
He criticised the individuals mocking him for his statement regarding poultry and livestock.
"I talk about poultry and livestock, people make fun of me. Bill Gates explained the same thing the next day and people are taking it to be something highly out of the box," the premier noted.
"Halal meat trade is worth USD2000 billion worldwide. We are a livestock nation, we can make the most of this opportunity area."
The PM also revealed that US President Donald Trump wrote a letter to him, seeking Pakistan’s assistance in the Afghan peace process. He further said that he had always believed only dialogue could bring stability in Afghanistan.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry confirmed Trump’s call for support. “President Trump has written a letter. He has asked for Pakistan’s cooperation to bring the Taliban into talks,” Chaudhry told a foreign news agency.
