ISLAMABAD: Calling Finance Minister Ishaq Dar an “economic hitman”, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has asked him to immediately step down after initiation of proceedings by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against him on charges of keeping assets beyond his known sources of income.

Speaking at a news conference here on Thursday, the PTI chief strongly criticised economic policies of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government and alleged that “failed policies” of the rulers had put the country’s “national security at stake”.

“Ishaq Dar should resign immediately after submission of references against him by NAB. There is no logic for him to keep the portfolio of finance, which means making decisions on national economy,” Mr Khan said, adding that the minister should also be made accountable for putting the country under the burden of foreign loans.

He challenged the figures and data being projected by the government while making claims about the country’s tremendous economic progress over the past four years.

PTI chief calls for Dar’s resignation after submission of NAB references; admits failure to introduce effective accountability, LG systems in KP

Mr Khan claimed that all economic indicators were showing a downward trend contrary to the claims being made by government functionaries in their speeches and through advertisements in the media. He alleged that the country’s exports had collapsed when exports from other countries in the region, including India and Bangladesh, had increased in the past few years.

“How will we pay back foreign loans when there is a gap of over $30 billion in the import and export of the country?” he asked.

Criticising former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for undertaking a number of foreign visits, he said that despite spending a huge money on foreign junkets, the rulers had failed to attract foreign investment in the country.

“Corruption and kickbacks are the biggest reasons for the historic decline in the local as well as foreign investments causing an increase in unemployment rate in the country”, he added.

Interestingly, Mr Khan compared economic policies of the PML-N government with its predecessors, saying that foreign investment in the country was much higher during the previous two governments headed by PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari and former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf. Similarly, he said, the condition of several corporations and the Pakistan Steel Mills, which were comparatively in a better position during the Musharraf regime and the PPP government, had deteriorated.

Mr Khan also ridiculed the government’s claim of ‘reducing loadshedding’ and said that there had been the highest shortfall of electricity in the country today. He questioned the rise in the circular debt despite the fact that oil prices had been constantly coming down and criticised the government for increasing power tariff.

The PTI chief said the government had also failed to widen tax base due to corruption in the Federal Board of Revenue. He alleged that the main job of the former chairman of the Bureau was to protect the corrupt Sharif family members through production of fake documents. He accused NAB of ‘hiding corruption of big fish and netting only small criminals’.

Replying to a question, Mr Khan admitted that his party had failed to implement an effective accountability system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Similarly, he said, the PTI-led coalition government in KP was also facing problems in empowering local governments in the province due to resistance from what he called the ‘forces of the status quo’. He, however, claimed that overall performance and governance in KP was much better than other provinces. He particularly mentioned ‘remarkable improvement’ in the police system and health and education sectors in the province.

On the occasion, PTI MNA Asad Umar made a presentation through figures depicting the poor state of economy under the PML-N government. He said the rulers had added a record Rs10,800bn foreign loan over the past four years. He said the exports of Bangladesh had increased to $35bn in the last four years but Pakistan’s exports had come down to $21bn from $25bn during the same period. Similarly, there has been a sixfold increase in the trade deficit.

The MNA said people of Pakistan were paying the highest price of electricity and gas in the region. He claimed that foreign currency reserves had started depleting in the past few months.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2017