{"id":1326,"date":"2026-06-16T15:51:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T15:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/?p=1326"},"modified":"2026-06-16T15:51:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T15:51:12","slug":"economy-on-path-to-recovery-khawaja-asif","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/economy-on-path-to-recovery-khawaja-asif\/","title":{"rendered":"Economy on path to recovery: Khawaja Asif"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>ISLAMABAD<\/strong>: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said Pakistan\u2019s economy had moved \u201cout of the ICU\u201d and is now showing signs of recovery, adding that the country could achieve 6\u20137% growth in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Addressing the National Assembly, the defence minister said, \u201cWhatever time we are living in is a time of celebration; we also have successes,\u201d he said, adding that in the first budget the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz&#8217;s government tabled three years ago, the economy was \u201cinsolvent\u201d before being stabilised with support from the International Monetary Fund on &#8220;strict conditions.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe were suffering, but from insolvency we are now solvent,\u201d he said, adding that the economy was now \u201cbreathing\u201d after a period of severe stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asif said he was not claiming that Pakistan had fully recovered, but argued that indicators pointed towards gradual improvement. &#8220;Our trajectory shows that in one or two years Pakistan will reach a growth rate of 6\u20137%,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said inflation and global energy prices remained linked to international markets, adding that expectations of lower domestic fuel prices were constrained by global trends. \u201cWhen people say petrol prices should come down, do be aware that prices in the international markets have not come down yet,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turning to taxation, the defence minister said the current system contained multiple layers of levies. \u201cWe know there are problems with the levy, there are multiple taxes\u201425 different types\u2014 and they have been built into every purchase,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asif further stated that the broader goal should be to expand the tax base rather than increase pressure on existing taxpayers. \u201cThe only way is that all 250 million people pay taxes,\u201d he said, adding that people often find ways to avoid taxation. \u201cWe need to create an atmosphere in which people pay taxes with pride,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">US-Iran<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The defence minister hailed Pakistan\u2019s role in helping bring about the recent understanding between the United States and Iran, saying the development had enhanced the country\u2019s standing internationally and should be celebrated as a national achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asif congratulated the nation on what he described as a major diplomatic success and praised the efforts of Pakistan\u2019s civil and military leadership. \u201cPakistan\u2019s role was recognised in the world,\u201d he said, adding that Pakistan had played a role in helping achieve the breakthrough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese moments in a country\u2019s life come after centuries and become golden moments,\u201d he told lawmakers. \u201cNo matter what complaints exist, these moments of jubilation should be celebrated as a nation, as one entity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The minister said he would like to thank \u201cthe field marshal and the entire team that was working\u201d, adding that \u201cthe whole country should thank them\u201d. \u201cThey steered a situation that was impossible and made the impossible possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asif noted that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had congratulated US President Donald Trump on the development but had not acknowledged Pakistan\u2019s role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turning to regional implications, the defence minister said recent improvements in Pakistan-Iran relations and the easing of sanctions on Tehran could create economic opportunities for Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith Iran, our relations have seen good developments in the past few months. Sanctions are being relaxed, their oil and gas exports [are increasing],\u201d he said. \u201cPakistan can benefit immensely from this change, and the biggest beneficiary will be Balochistan,\u201d he added. \u201cLet\u2019s see how we can proceed in this direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Local politics<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The defence minister speaking on the security situation in Balochistan said that the crisis in the province \u201cwas not born yesterday\u201d and that responsibility for it was shared across political forces over many decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMany colleagues have rightly discussed the situation in Balochistan. This situation was not born yesterday; many people have contributed to it,\u201d he said, adding that he would avoid naming individuals because \u201cit would become partisan\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He further said terrorism in Balochistan and K-P should be treated as a national issue rather than a party issue. \u201cIf roads are not safe in Balochistan, if terrorists have made highways unsafe and acts of terrorism occur, I understand this is the collective responsibility of this House,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He rejected the idea that political parties should trade accusations over the crisis. \u201cShould I accuse them or should they accuse us?\u201d he asked, adding that the roots of the problem stretched back to the 1950s, when agreements made with tribal communities were later broken. \u201cWe need a collective solution. If Balochistan faces terrorism, then responsibility is collective, and there must be a solution that the people of Balochistan accept,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asif also spoke emotionally about the human cost of the insurgency and counterterrorism conflict, saying he had attended \u201c21 funerals in the last few days\u201d. \u201cSmall children are being orphaned. People are told, just days after their weddings, that they must report to the border,\u201d he said, adding that many personnel request transfers because they fear postings to Balochistan and conflict zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese soldiers standing on the borders of Balochistan and K-P are young men with families. Their sacrifices will bear fruit and will not be wasted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The minister also criticised what he described as hypocrisy across the political spectrum regarding the role of the establishment. \u201cWe complain that power centres have shifted elsewhere, but they have shifted because of us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asif said, \u201cI am given establishment taunts. Tell me one party that is innocent.\u201d He added that the soldiers being killed in attacks should not be reduced to political labels. \u201cThese are not martyrs of a party; they are martyrs of the army, which we call the establishment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The defence minister urged lawmakers to speak \u201cthe language of the federation\u201d rather than narrow provincial or partisan politics. \u201cThis is the whole of Pakistan\u2019s House,\u201d he said. \u201cDo not come here with political angling and posturing that makes the common man lose trust in this House.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asif also accused political parties of selectively forgetting their own dealings with the establishment while criticising opponents for similar conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Referring to former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, he said he had attended legislative meetings at Qaiser&#8217;s residence during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf&#8217;s tenure, where politicians from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and individuals linked to the intelligence services were present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAsad Qaiser, whom I respect, in his room I attended meetings at his house on legislation. PPP would sit there, ISI people sent by General [retd] Faiz would sit there, and they would monitor our conversations and, where they wanted, they would decide our direction,\u201d Asif alleged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The defence minister claimed he was disclosing this to \u201clower the burden on my conscience\u201d, arguing that politicians often ignored their own past conduct when attacking rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen you pound your chest and taunt us, do you forget that under your roof the Anti-Money Laundering Bill and NAB law were discussed there under the watchful gaze of people sent by Gen Faiz at that time?\u201d he stated, adding, \u201cThis is our problem. In politics, there are grey areas, but we expand them with new levels of hypocrisy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asif was referring to Faiz Hameed, who is a retired three\u2011star general of the Pakistan Army\u2019s Baloch Regiment and served as the director general of the Inter\u2011Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan\u2019s premier intelligence agency, from June 2019 to 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hameed, on December 11, was sentenced to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment by a Field General Court Martial after being found guilty on multiple charges after 15 months of proceedings. He was tried on four charges, including engaging in political activities, misuse of authority and government resources, violation of the Official Secrets Act in a manner \u201cdetrimental to the safety and interest of the state,\u201d and causing wrongful loss to individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Afghanistan<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Responding to criticism that Islamabad had not sufficiently engaged with Kabul, Asif said that Pakistan had repeatedly engaged with the Afghan Taliban multiple times but had failed to secure guarantees that Afghan territory would not be used for attacks inside Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asif said that senior political, military and intelligence officials had held extensive talks with Taliban authorities over several years. \u201cLots of people complained that we should negotiate with them, and maybe our approach is impersonal, that we are not directly approaching them,\u201d he said. \u201cBut this Afghanistan issue is directly linked to terrorism. Whether in Balochistan or Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the origin of the terrorism comes from Afghanistan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rejecting suggestions that Pakistan had not pursued dialogue, the minister said he had personally travelled to Afghanistan twice as part of high-level delegations. \u201cThis complaint that we didn\u2019t talk \u2014 I went twice myself. Both times senior delegation members were there, and I had the DG ISI with me,\u201d he said. \u201cThey would agree to everything but would refuse anything in writing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The minister disclosed that Afghan authorities had sought financial assistance from Pakistan during the discussions. \u201cThey asked us for $10 billion. We agreed, but we told them that terrorists residing in Afghanistan will not come back to Pakistan,\u201d he said. \u201cApart from Kabul, I also met them in Turkey and Qatar. Negotiations would go on day and night, with high-powered delegations, but there was no conclusion,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe were ready to do anything, but we wanted a guarantee that their land would not be used against us. That\u2019s all we wanted.\u201d The defence minister said Pakistan had exhausted diplomatic channels in seeking cooperation from the Taliban government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asif also reflected on Pakistan\u2019s role in past regional conflicts, arguing that decisions taken during the Cold War and the US-led war in Afghanistan had left lasting consequences. \u201cI don\u2019t say that our policies of the 1980s and the first two decades of this century, when we were American proxies, were correct,\u201d he said. \u201cWe thought we would win a lottery by being an American proxy. Pakistan became a battleground,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The minister further said that those [Americans] who &#8220;came here used us and then went home,&#8221; leaving behind their arms and terror. &#8220;We are still suffering the consequences, and God knows for how long we will continue to suffer,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Calling for a practical approach, the minister said Pakistan remained open to further engagement but expected tangible outcomes. \u201cMy companions should conduct talks and go there. We are ready, but don\u2019t come back without results,\u201d he said. \u201cTwo generations have already suffered, and it seems the coming generations will also suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said Pakistan\u2019s economy had moved \u201cout of the ICU\u201d and is now showing signs of recovery, adding that the country could achieve 6\u20137% growth in the coming years. Addressing the National Assembly, the defence minister said, \u201cWhatever time we are living in is a time of celebration; we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":849,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,7,16,2],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[27],"class_list":["post-1326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-finance","category-latest","category-national","category-pakisstan"],"authors":[{"term_id":27,"user_id":3,"is_guest":0,"slug":"afnanwasif","display_name":"Web Desk","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cbec8328241e98fefcd32e00f20f7a6b502086a0b95d395db4b1565c51681914?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"1","first_name":"Web","last_name":"Desk","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1326"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1327,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1326\/revisions\/1327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1326"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}