ISLAMABAD- Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the economy of thecountry despite its challenges is moving in the right direction since hisgovernment came into power two years ago.
“Pakistan economy is facing huge deficits external and internal, with thepower sector in serious trouble, no country can carry out reforms in asnap,” said PM Khan, in his interview to *Al Jazeera*, when queriedregarding the economic performance of his government.
“It is a struggle and takes time because of the whole mindset and incentivestructure and then you have to change the way government works,” he said.
“In my opinion, in these two years Pakistan has moved in the rightdirection,” he added. On the issue of rising inflation and improvements inpeople’s living standards, the PM Khan said: “Pakistan has to change thestructure of raising its revenues, which takes reforms and cutting down theexpenditure, which we have done.”
Clamping down corruption
PM Khan called corruption as the ‘biggest killer of the society’ sayingthat his government has managed to control it at the top level, “Which iswhy there is no mega corruption scandal. However, the problem is still wehave corruption in lower levels, for which we need a lot of steps tocontrol it at all levels.”
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Imran Khan said that the reason why the preceding governments have failedto clamp down on corruption was that the powerful people involved in itwere never held accountable. “This is the first time in our history thatthe powerful are being held accountable,” added the premier.
Pakistan and CPEC
Talking about the progress on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)and reports saying that Islamabad wants to renegotiate its terms of theCPEC with Beijing, PM Imran Khan rejected the notion, adding thatPakistan’s relationship with its ally was better than ever.
“Our relationship with China is better than ever before, Pakistan’seconomic future is now linked to China,” he said. “China is growing at afaster pace than any other country and Pakistan, you know, can reallybenefit from the way China has developed and lifted people out of poverty,”he added.
