Adviser to the prime minister, Rana Sanaullah vowed on Saturday that Pakistan would give a befitting response to any Afghan aggression.

Sanaullah said that petrol stood at Rs60 per litre during the previous administration, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) reached the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that shaped current conditions. He said the country would see improvement after one year and added that the government wished to offer a petrol subsidy.

Addressing the inauguration of a gas-supply project in Faisalabad, Sanaullah said the facility would help households, particularly women. He said Pakistan’s gas reserves fell in recent years and a ban on new domestic connections remained in place. He added that the country would one day discover fresh petrol and gas reserves, and that the government secured liquefied gas under an agreement with Qatar.

He said a person who dug a pit for others eventually fell into it himself. Referring to the heroin case lodged against him, he said a former government brought a false charge of 15 kilogrammes. He said God cleared him because divine power stood above all, and that the person responsible now sought forgiveness and faced divine accountability.

He said politics of hatred harmed the country and that every action carried consequences. He added that a man once defended a case against him but now sought clemency. Sanaullah said PTI raised the slogan of eradicating corruption but failed to do so.

He said Pakistan received a red-carpet welcome after the ‘Battle of Truth’ and that India faced humiliation worldwide. He said the honour Pakistan received would help improve economic conditions. He added that the country stood ready to sacrifice everything for the land of Saudi Arabia.

The senator said the current inflation did not stem from the present government. He said he prayed the year would pass with safety and that the government would reduce inflation. He said the IMF programme entered its final year and that the government sought to lower prices through subsidies, but the IMF declined permission.