IPSOS Economic Survey Exposes Government’s Economic Claims, Public Confidence Continues to Decline: KP Finance Advisor Muzzammil Aslam

Adviser to the KP Chief Minister on Finance Muzzammil Aslam, reacting to the latest IPSOS economic survey, said that the survey had exposed the government’s economic claims, as public confidence in the economy continues to decline and the government’s claims do not correspond with ground realities.
Muzzammil Aslam said that, according to the survey, only one in every seven Pakistanis believes that the country’s economy is getting stronger. “The question is: who are these fortunate people who see the economy getting stronger? Perhaps the confidence in an improving economy is limited to those who are receiving government contracts,” he remarked.
He said inflation had become the biggest concern for the Pakistani public, while unemployment, poverty, high electricity prices and load-shedding also remained among the major concerns. These figures, he said, clearly demonstrate that ordinary citizens continue to face severe economic hardships.
The Finance Adviser said that according to the IPSOS survey, only 15 percent of Pakistanis are confident about investment prospects in the country, while only 16 percent are confident about retaining their jobs. “Perhaps most of those 16 percent who are confident about their job security are government employees,” he remarked.
Muzzammil Aslam said that, according to the survey, only 19 percent of Pakistanis are satisfied with their personal financial situation. These figures reflect the growing economic distress and anxiety among the people, with inflation and unemployment being the major causes of concern.
He said that while the government was claiming economic achievements on one hand, the experiences of the people and the realities on the ground presented an entirely different picture. This clear disconnect between government claims and public economic sentiment was deeply concerning, he added.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Finance Adviser said the IPSOS survey was clear evidence of growing public distrust in the economy and raised a major question mark over the government’s economic policies. “If the economy is genuinely improving, its benefits should also be visible in the lives of ordinary people,” he said.
He said that according to the survey, people in Punjab appeared to be the most dissatisfied, where inflation, unemployment and other economic challenges had become serious concerns for the public.
Muzzammil Aslam questioned whether the government’s real priority was to reduce the difficulties faced by the people or to consolidate its hold on power. He said the fundamental objective of economic policies should be to provide relief to the people, create employment opportunities and improve their standard of living, rather than merely creating an impression of economic success through statistics and claims.
He said the government would have to take the economic concerns of the people seriously and adopt practical policies whose positive impact could be clearly felt in the daily lives of ordinary citizens.