ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday accused the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government of having already covertly implemented tough conditions of the International Monetary Fund without placing them before parliament and it’s now hoodwinking the masses by holding “theatrical meetings” in Dubai.

Referring to a meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde in Dubai on Sunday, the PML-N leader said in a statement that it was nothing but a “cosmetic performance” as the government had already implemented tough conditions of the IMF by “financially lynching” the masses.

Ms Aurangzeb, who had served as information minister in the previous PML-N government, questioned as to why this “entire drama” had been staged.

People told to get ready for another ‘inflation tsunami’

She said the government had already agreed to toughest conditions set by the IMF and it had already implemented them in the form of skyrocketing inflation, massive increase in gas and electricity tariffs, withdrawal of crucial subsidies from farmers and increase in Haj fares.

She questioned the rationale behind spending a lot of money on the Dubai trip of the prime minister and asked as to what more conditions the government would agree to after dropping the “inflation bomb” on the people.

“The people of Pakistan need to know these added IMF conditions on top of the disastrous steps already taken by Mr Khan,” she said.

Ms Aurangzeb also said people should be informed as to how much more the rupee would be devalued and how much more burden would be put on the masses by the PTI government through these new IMF conditions.

She asked the people to get ready to face another “tsunami of inflation” as a result of this trip of the prime minister to Dubai.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2019