New terms of IMF have engulfed the whole nation from neck: Shehbaz 

LAHORE, Dec 04 (SABAH): Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that the entire nation is ashamed of the Sialkot incident. Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the Sialkot incident and hoped that the accused would be arrested as soon as possible. He said that the new terms of International Monitory Fund (IMF) have engulfed the whole nation from neck. He said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders made wrong decisions regarding the economy due to which the inflation was increased. He said that the government says it has paid the debts but the statistics of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) contradict the government claim.

This was stated by Shehbaz Sharif while addressing the press conference at PML-N Model Town Secretariat along with PML-N Secretary General and former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhry, former finance minister and Secretary General PML-N Sindh Dr. Miftah Ismail Ahmed, PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan, Azma Zahid Bukhari and Ataullah Tarar Advocate.

Shehbaz Sharif said that the masses are bearing the brunt of the blunders of PTI, adding that in 39 months loans of Rs 20 thousand billion were secured. With regard to the economy, he said that the biggest examples of economic devastation are the Ottoman Empire and the Soviet Union, adding that the situation in Pakistan is also very bad and it has become difficult for an ordinary citizen to live here.

He said that the performance of PTI was also not good prior to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, adding that the whole world face price spiral after coronaviurs but Pakistan stands at third position in the world with regard to inflation.

Shehbaz Sharif said that he and whole opposition warned the government about inflation and requested them to work for the common man but the government did not pay heed to our advice. He said that at the end of the government Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif the total debts and liabilities on Pakistan were Rs 30 thousand billion and inflation rate was 3 to 4 percent, adding that as contrary to this the new conditions of the IFM during the tenure of current government have engulfed the whole nation from neck. He said that when Nawaz Sharif had left the government the GDP was at 5.8 percent.

Shehbaz Sharif said that Imran Khan had said in 2018 that he will bring down the debts of country from 30 thousand billion rupees to 20 thousands billion rupees but only after passing 39 months he has secured loans of Rs 20 thousand billion, which is equal to 70 percent loans taken in the whole history of Pakistan.

Referring to the EVM, he said that when Imran Khan was standing on the container, we also passed reforms in the assembly but at that time the opposition was taken on board.

To a question regarding the long march and protests of the opposition, the opposition leader said that the meeting of the opposition would be