Fawad Chaudhry, the Minister for Science and Technology, on Tuesday, asked the people of Pakistan to not look towards the government for jobs. In what appears to be a bizarre U-turn, it seems that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is retracting one of its major manifesto pledges to the nation.
People shouldn’t look towards government for jobs, says Fawad Ch https://t.co/Tf93HCOZqP pic.twitter.com/s04Zy2XxV7
— 92 News HD Plus (@92newschannel) October 15, 2019
Speaking at the second Deans International Conference of Engineering Institutions, held in Islamabad, the Minister for Science and Technology said that the government failed to provide jobs to the public.
Government Can’t Provide Jobs
Fawad Chaudhry said, “Instead, I want to tell you that the government is going to disband 400 departments.” He explained that the government is unable to provide jobs and the people must stop looking towards federal institutions for employment.
The Minister of Technology added, “In Pakistan or elsewhere in the world, governments are shrinking.”
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He continued, “It is very imperative to get people to realize that the government cannot provide jobs. If we start looking towards the government for jobs then the framework of our economy will collapse.”
Fawad Chaudhry explained that now, it is the responsibility of the private sector to create jobs for the people. He said, “It was the mentality of the 1970s that governments would provide jobs — now the private sector provides jobs.”
حیران ہوں ہر بیان کو کیسے سیاق و سباق کے بغیر سرخی بنا دیا جاتا ہے، کہا تھا نوکریاں حکومت نہیں پرائیویٹ سیکٹر دیتا ہے حکومت نے ماحول پیدا کرنا ہے جہاں نوکریاں ہوں یہ نہیں کہ ہر شخص سرکاری نوکری ڈھونڈے
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) October 15, 2019
Shortly after delivering these statements at the Conference, the Minister of Technology took to twitter and said that his statement has been misconstrued. He said, “I am amazed how everything statement I make is turned into a headline without understanding the context.”
Fawad Chaudhry added, “I said that that it is the private sector that provides jobs, not the government. The government must create an environment that enhances job availability. Everyone should not be inclined to look for a government job.”
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In its manifesto, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has pledged to create 10 million jobs in its five-year tenure in the sectors of ICT, healthcare, housing, education, tourism, SME and green economy. Fawad Chaudhry had himself stated, in January, that 10 million new jobs will be made available for the youngsters, while the PTI government will ensure the construction of 500,000 houses for the underprivileged.
Earlier, the Minister for Planning and Development Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar had also reiterated that the PTI government will create 10 million jobs in five years, and take measures to ensure sustainable economic growth with structural reforms.