Dismissed the opposition’s talk of overthrowing the government, Federal Minister for Planning and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Saturday called the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) countrywide protest drive against inflation a “storm in a teacup.”

Speaking at a press conference at Pakistan’s embassy in the United States, Asad Umar said food and other item prices had risen not only in Pakistan but also in other countries.

In response to various Opposition leaders’ remarks about sending the government packing, the PTI leader stated that this was the sixth time he had heard talk of the government being sent packing in the last three years.

“What Allah has decreed will occur,” he said of the government’s future.

In response to a question, the federal minister stated that the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor’s scope was being expanded but that some countries did not want the project to expand.

The minister emphasized the PTI-led government’s achievements, saying that an Rs800 billion budget was presented last year, with Rs600 billion allocated for development projects.

Umar stated that the government is taking steps to increase investment in Pakistan to create jobs and other benefits.

“Pakistan places a high value on its trade relations with Central Asian countries,” Umar said, adding that the route to these countries passes through Afghanistan.

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About the current humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the minister expressed hope that the world would not repeat the mistakes of the 1990s. He stated that if the world does not make the same mistakes in the war-torn country, the US government will tell its people that its 20-year investment in Afghanistan was not in vain.

In response to another question, Umar stated that the Taliban’s behavior is positive and desires constructive relations with the rest of the world.

PDM to send government packing Marium Aurangzeb:

Earlier on October 20, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb vowed that the PDM’s anti-inflation protests would force the government to resign.

The PDM had organized a protest in Rawalpindi that day, the first stop in its county-wide protest campaign to depose the government.

“People are exasperated because of inflation and unemployment, and they have no hope from this government,” the PML-N spokesperson said during the protest.

People were “forced to commit suicide” during the incumbent regime’s rule, according to the PML-N spokesperson, as she sought national support for the Opposition alliance’s nationwide protests.

“Those who are discussing Riasat-e-Madina will have to return home.”

The PML-N spokesperson had stated that the party would not allow Prime Minister Imran Khan to become a “political martyr” and that the public was well-informed about the country’s political developments.

“Imran Khan must imprison Shahbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif to run his government,” she added.