THIS is with regard to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s trips to Saudi Arabia and China. Both trips were necessary to raise funds to get the country out of its current financial crisis. Ironically while in China, Mr Khan claimed that Pakistan’s current financial nightmare was caused by the corruption of the past rulers who borrowed from foreign countries to finance their corruption.

What a farce! The current prime minister is also borrowing and seeking help from foreign countries to eliminate corruption at home.

It seems as if he forgot that these rulers also borrowed to finance development projects whose income potentials were quite high.

The PM needs to look at the size of his government, the number of his ministers and advisers and the commissions he has established since taking over.

He talks about a separate province for southern Punjab but has he considered the projected costs and burden on exchequer in terms of the governor, chief minister, cabinet members, assembly, the speaker, deputy speaker and parliamentary staff? How does he propose to fund these additional costs?

Time and again the PM has brought up corruption during his trips abroad. Who will invest in the country now? It is not a surprise that the PM returned empty- handed from China.

Asad Ali Shah

Karachi

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2018