Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Monday the cash-strapped Pakistan could get help from Saudi Arabia because of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir, who is currently in the kingdom on an official visit, and not because of the government.
In a series of tweets, the former interior minister said the PDM government had lost its credibility, adding that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had brought their money back. Last week, the Pakistani government had returned $1.2 billion to the two commercial banks of the Gulf country. Mr Ahmed said the government had money to afford the 77-member cabinet, luxury vehicles and chartered planes but not for providing wheat flour to the public. In reply to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s statement that Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves currently stand at $10 billion and not $4 billion as $6 billion held by commercial banks of the country, the AML chief said the statement by the financial czar had frightened foreign account holders. He said a poor and debt-ridden country was exploited and not made a friend in the world. He said political instability posed threat to provincial unit. Pakistan was facing internal threats and not the foreign, he said, adding that transparent elections would decide the future of the country. —INP
