ISLAMABAD: Infor­ma­tion Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb held PTI Chair­man Imran Khan responsible for the economic collapse and a historic surge in the dollar’s value, saying the former prime minister had brought the country to the brink of collapse.

She slammed Mr Khan for signing an agreement with the International Mon­etary Fund (IMF), “which is punishing the people in the form of inflation”.

She said this in a series of tweets on Friday, apparently responding to a tweet by PTI leader and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, who had criticised the current government for economic woes.

Mr Chaudhry earlier said that the entire “so-called government” had dashed to London while the rupee was in free fall. “There is no government in the country. Wa­­ter is not available in Pun­j­­ab. Kharif crops are being destroyed. Stop this joke,” he had said.

In response, Ms Aurang­zeb described the PTI’s rule as equivalent to “economic terrorism” in the country, say­­ing Imran Khan was responsible for the historic rise in the dollar to around R193 and “his incompetent rule has led to the economic debacle of the economy and all other structures of the country”.

Referring to subsidies on petroleum products, she said: “Imran Khan has done irreparable damage to save his failed politics, for which the public is suffering today. Difficult decisions are being made today because of Imran Khan.”

The minister said the former premier had once again atop the container “to cover up his anti-people economic crimes”. She said Imran Khan was putting the country’s economy and the future of the people at stake for his politics. “This is treason and an act against Pakistanis,” she added.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2022