Economy was more unstable when I took over as finance minister: Asad Umar

ISLAMABAD: Former finance minister Asad Umar has said the economy isn’t in such an unstable position when it was at the time of him taking up reins, ARY News reported.

Talks were going on about my possible removal from the ministry, but it actually transpired on Wednesday night, he revealed while speaking in the ARY News Programme ‘Off The Record’.

Umar said managing the finance ministry was a difficult task, as it doesn’t even allow you to spare a time for a workout in a day, he added.

The Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf leader said his ministry took a number of measures. ‘But results of the some couldn’t be acquired.’ The ex-minister, while responding to a question about his removal from ministry due to ‘performance’, he replied: “What else could be the reason.”

Read: Asad Umar steps down as finance minister

He said he never prolonged a debate if anyone in the party raised any objection to my decisions. He insisted that the economy prospered during the PTI government’s tenure.

Umar said there could be no comparison between him and Usman Buzdar. “He is the chief minister of Punjab.”

He hailed the next possible finance minister Hafeez Sheikh and said he was a humble man, adding “I have worked with him.”

He explained he had been having a conversation with the prime minister from last night and met him this morning. The PTI leader said the past governments used to imposed 52 percent tax on petroleum, however, the current government imposed just 30 percent of the tax.

He said he conveyed to the prime minister that it was not essential to have him in the cabinet.

“I cannot tell with certainty about how active my role is going to be in the government in days to come,” he stated.