Dr Farrukh Saleem appointed govt spokesman on economy

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Tuesday appointed renowned economist Dr Farrukh Saleem as its spokesman on economy and energy issues.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry announced the appointment in a tweet and said a notification will be issued soon.

The announcement came hours after sources said Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the ministers to take parliament and masses into confidence over his government's economic plans.

According to sources, the premier said that the incumbent government faces far severe challenges than the previous governments and it has to make difficult decisions to address the challenges while speaking in a meeting attended by party leaders, ministers and economists.

The economists proposed the premier their recommendations to improve the economy, the sources said. One of the proposals was to take loans for a short IMF loan for a short span of time while ensuring cost-cutting, sources said.

The premier also expressed his strong reservations over the below par performance of the government's media team.

He decided to personally give his view over the government's economic agenda.