ISLAMABAD, July 24: Parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in the Senate Mohammad Ishaq Dar has ridiculed Shaukat Aziz's claim of eliminating poverty and unemployment in six months, and termed it an attempt to deceive the people.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, the PML-N senator claimed that Shaukat Aziz failed to provide slightest relief to the people in past five years despite wielding unlimited powers under Gen Pervez Musharraf. "How could he turn the tide in six months," he asked.

Mr Dar said from the day Shaukat Aziz started playing "havoc" with national economy, he had been promising after every decision that the people would enjoy its benefits in 18 months. But he could not give relief to the people except backbreaking prices, widespread unemployment, rampant poverty, ruin of agriculture and a spate of suicides, the PML-N leader added.

The parliamentary PML-N leader said the so-called people- friendly policies of Shaukat Aziz had already caused 70 to 150 per cent increase in prices of common items, while the number of people deprived of two square meals had climbed by 15 million.

According to Nadra, out of 35 million Pakistanis now holding identity cards, 7.8 million are unemployed, while independent experts have put the total number of the unemployed at 15 million, he added.

He said: "The national economy had started moving ahead during the rule of elected prime minister Nawaz Sharif, but Gen Pervez Musharraf and his all powerful finance minister turned it back, resulting in galloping poverty.