PAKISTAN Muslim League (Nawaz) Quaid and former three-time Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has vowed that his party’s top priority would be overcoming the issue of inflation in the country after getting victory in the upcoming elections. Talking to a delegation of PML(N) UAE Chapter in Dubai, he expressed the hope that Pakistan’s democratic political parties would come together to form a new government after the elections with the aim of bringing about economic prosperity in the country.
There is no doubt that the unprecedented price-hike has become the number one concern of the people and an elected government cannot close its eyes to the woes of the ordinary citizens. It is also a fact that the public opinion turned against the then PTI Government mainly because of its inability to check the rising inflation and pinned hopes on the new coalition government to address the challenge. However, the problem compounded further during the last one year because of extreme political instability which diverted almost the entire attention of the authorities concerned on survival and odds posed by the hardening position of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). There is no immediate possibility of any worthwhile relief for the inflation-ridden masses and instead they are likely to come under more pressure as the government has undertaken to increase gas and electricity tariff as well as petroleum development levy (PDL) under the terms of the latest agreement with the IMF. As the fresh accord is just for nine months, it is generally believed that the new government, coming into power after general election, will have to negotiate another package with the Fund which would obviously mean more tough measures directly impacting upon the life of the people. The resolve of the PML(N) leader notwithstanding, there are bleak prospects for any meaningful relief for the people in immediate or medium terms. However, his remarks do reflect the optimism of the PML(N) to form the next government, the chances for which have brightened after the former ruling party stands sidelined because of its own follies. However, Mian Nawaz Sharif seems to be alive to the ground reality that there might not be any clear winner and this is evident from his remarks that democratic political parties would come together to form the new government. Based on his reading of the situation, MNS not only held important meetings in Dubai to line up things for economic moves by the next government and in a bid to evolve understanding with other parties, especially the PPP, regarding future set-up. His engagements in Debai were in line with the priority of the incumbent government which has already announced initiation of Invest Plan B to revive the shattered economy.
