DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Chief of the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan-led federal government for ‘mortgaging’ the State Bank of Pakistan to the International Monetary Fund for loan.

“The State Bank of Pakistan is not answerable to Pakistan [after debt agreement with the IMF],” Mr Fazl told a public meeting at the GPO Chowk here.

The PDM leader claimed that the SBP hadn’t lent a single rupee to the federal government since 2019.

He criticised the government over ‘poor’ economic policies and said more and more taxes were being imposed on the people, who were already struggling to pay for food, medicines and utilities.

Complains taxes being imposed when people struggling to pay for food, utilities

Mr Fazl said electricity had got so expensive that it was unaffordable for the common man.

“The government is fulfilling the global agenda but we will not allow it to turn us into a slave nation,” he said.

The PDM chief said the Federal Bureau of Revenue and the Punjab governor were confirming the destruction of national economy by the ‘illegitimate, selected and fake’ prime minister.

He claimed that when his party was part of the government, the country’s growth rate was 5.5 per cent and was set to cross the six per cent mark, but it had gone below zero since the PTI had come to power.

Mr Fazl said no one had the right to steal the people’s mandate and that the fake representative of DI Khan (Ali Amin Gandapur) had been exposed.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan complained that the new US president didn’t call him after assuming the office, while the Indian prime minister also didn’t take his telephonic call.

“During the recent visit to China, the country’s leadership didn’t meet our selected and illegitimate prime minister in person and preferred a meeting via video link,” he claimed.

The PDM chief said though he was not part of the National Assembly, the Chinese leadership met me in person.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan ‘disgraced’ the Pakistani nation by begging other nations.

Mr Fazl said the Afghan Taliban defeated the US on their soil proving that it no longer had the right to be called a superpower.

He said the development of backward areas was part of his party’s election manifesto but the ruling PTI was insulting the people by inaugurating development projects ahead of elections for votes.

On the occasion, JUI-F leader Maulana Allah Wassaya said the government had conspired to revoke the Namoos-i-Risalat law but the conspiracy was foiled by his party’s leadership.

JUI-F Punjab chief Maulana Yahya Abbasi said the people of Dera would continue to stand with Maulana Fazl, who always fought for their rights.

JUI-F leaders Maulana Qazi Abdul Haleem, Mufti Abdul Wahid Qureshi, Raja Akhtar Ali, Chaudhry Riaz, Sohail Rajput, Khalid Naz, Sharif Chauhan and Hafiz Munir Ahmed also addressed the public meeting.

The event organisers didn’t make seating arrangements for journalists at the venue. Only a stage was set up for TV cameramen to cover the public meeting.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2022