Awami Muslim League (AML) chief and former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Sunday said the cash-strapped Shehbaz-led government’s downward countdown is expected to begin from July 12 [the start of new wave of inflation including increasing power tariff].
Taking to Twitter, he asked what was the difference between the IMF decisions of former finance minister Miftah Ismail and his successor Ishaq Dar except they are relatives. “Dar’s tone was aggressive initially and then he started bowing before the [International Monetary Fund] to get the loan approved for nine months.”
He said a new wave of inflation would engulf the masses from July 12, leading to downward countdown of the incumbent government, adding the three governments the sitting government, the caretaker government and the new government — had to fulfill the IMF’s strict conditions in nine months and pay back $11 billion in six months.
The former minister said the time would tell if the deposit assurances given by the friendly countries would reach any practical conclusion, adding there was no room for errors in the IMF agreement as an environment of now or never had been created. He was of the view that the government had wasted 10 months, signed [staff level] agreement with [the IMF] on the last day June 30.
“Is it fair that diesel has become expensive by Rs7.50 even on the arrival of Russian oil in the country, the AML leader questioned. He said the foreign minister of PPP made more than 50 foreign tourism trips but is a silent spectator on the IMF agreement.—INP
