• Imran suggests short and long-term steps to overcome economic crisis
• PTI to move court against Nawaz-Shehbaz meeting

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday announced plans to develop a ‘comprehensive road map’ to steer the country out of the prevailing economic quagmire.

He also said Pakistan needed to take short- and long-term steps to overcome the economic crisis.

The PTI also decided to take the matter of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with his brother Nawaz Sharif and PML-N leader Ishaq Dar to a court of law, maintaining that discussing the appointment of the army chief was a violation of the Official Secrets Act and the oath of the premier.

Chairing a meeting of the party’s senior leadership and economic team, attended by Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry Dr Shireen Mazari, Shaukat Tarin and other leaders, Mr Khan decided to establish a ‘Core Economic Group’ to be led by Mr Tarin, consisting of members from the PTI economic team, independent economists and market experts.

The group would present a report to the PTI leadership on the current crisis and remedial action plans along with proposals for a targeted subsidy for vulnerable sections.

According to a statement, former minister Tarin briefed the meeting on a strategy to put the country’s economy on the path of improvement and to protect the poor from the worst effects of an economic disaster.

He highlighted 17 key economic areas, including fiscal, energy, industry, social sector, financial, commerce and exports, construction and housing, agriculture, tourism and blue economy, digitalisation, state-owned enterprises and privatisation, water and climate, sports, education, health, arts and culture, and science and technology, each of which would be headed by experts.

“Today, most people are facing the worst inflation, high electricity prices and a slow economy,” he remarked.

He further said the PTI would devise a complete road map for the recovery of the economy and saving the poor.

Nawaz-Shehbaz-Dar meeting

Separately, chairing a meeting of the party’s legal committee, Mr Khan said the meeting of the prime minister Sharif Mr Nawaz and Mr Dar, during which they reportedly discussed the appointment of the army chief, was a violation of the Official Secrets Act and the oath of the prime minister.

The meeting decided to take the matter to court. It was also informed that PTI workers were allegedly receiving threatening calls from unidentified numbers, which would also be taken to court.

It also resolved that the case of alleged custodial torture on Dr Shahbaz Gill would be taken to its logical end.

Meanwhile, senior party leader Fawad Chaudhry called for ‘rewriting the political framework’ following ‘failure’ of the present system, and agree upon the ‘rules of the game’ to ensure balance in the civil-military relationship.

Digital forum

Separately, Mr Khan said Pakistan needed to take short- and long-term steps to overcome the economic crisis, adding the country could not progress without exports and that his government was focusing on increasing exports to avoid recurring balance of payment crisis.

He was speaking to participants of a digital forum.

To a question, he said there was a need to reduce losses of government-run organisations.

He further said he wanted to attract investment in real estate, but since the country was also facing food insecurity, he had decided to establish Ravi city and Bundal Island projects.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2022