TOBA TEK SINGH: Int­erior Minister Rana Sana­ullah has said that all-out efforts are being made by the PDM government headed by Shehbaz Sharif to overcome the economic crisis so that Pakistan can avert default.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of a Nadra office on Jhang Road in his constituency on Saturday, he said the country was facing the price hike and economic crisis due to strict conditions of IMF.

These policies of the glo­bal lender put pressure on the PDM government to wit­hdraw subsidies given to the masses, he said, adding that IMF also wanted Pakis­tan to raise the prices of petroleum products and electricity.

“If we back out from these conditionalities, then our economic survival will become next to impossible and even our friendly countries cannot extend financial help to us,” APP quoted him as saying.

Taking a swipe at PTI chief Imran Khan, the minister claimed that one of the reasons behind the current economic crisis was the propaganda being made by the former prime minister that Pakistan would soon default although he himself was actually responsible for the mess that happened due to “wrong” policies pursued by the PTI government.

He accused the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief of conspiring for the country to default.

Continuing his tirade against Imran Khan, the interior minister recalled that the PTI chief used to hold him [Rana Sanaullah] responsible for multiple murders in Faisalabad but surprisingly the PTI government in Punjab under Usman Buzdar got him arrested in a fake drug case. “Why didn’t he [Imran] get him arrested in the murder case,” the minister wondered.

Referring to the gun attack on Mr Khan, he said luckily the Wazirabad attacker was arrested on the spot otherwise fake stories would have been fabricated by the PTI chairman like the one the ex-PM made out of the US cipher.

He said the Wazirabad shooter was a religiously motivated person like the man who attacked Ahsan Iqbal of PML-N. He said everyone knew about the reason of Wazirabad attack but Mr Khan was wrongly insisting on the involvement of Shehbaz Sharif, an army officer and the interior minister in the incident.

He wondered why Imran Khan was not challenging his audio tapes and demanding a forensic analysis.

He alleged that Mr Khan had created a vulgar culture on social media, and urged the nation to eliminate the PTI leader from politics through their votes in the next election.

The minister pointed out that the PTI government first accepted the IMF conditions but later reneged on it and lowered petroleum prices against the spirit of the deal.

That’s the reason that IMF is now forcing the PDM government to first implement the conditions then they would release the tranche, he said.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2023