LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief organiser Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Sunday said the ruling coalition was aware of the impact of hyperinflation on the masses as she blamed former prime minister Imran Khan for pushing Pakistan to the brink of default.

Addressing a workers’ convention in Multan, the senior vice president of the party said that the PML-N “feels the pain” of the nation that was the victim of the “poor economic policies” of Imran Khan.

Ms Sharif said that the increase in the prices of the commodities was the result of the agreement that Imran Khan signed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during his tenure.

She said Imran Khan’s government had also violated the IMF agreement and now the incumbent government was bearing the brunt. “Today, the IMF tells us that we will not listen to you because of the way Imran Khan betrayed us. They insist on increasing the prices first and then paying us the loan money. If we listen to the IMF, then inflation goes up, and if we don’t then Pakistan comes to the brink of default.”

Ms Sharif said that the hands of the current government were tied due to the agreement with the global lender. She said Imran Khan had not only stolen the watch from the Toshakhana gifts but wreaked havoc from one corner of the country to another.

Says govt’s hands tied due to deal with IMF

She alleged that the former premier “only fixed his home’s economy while ruining the economy” of the country.

The PML-N senior vice president said the former chief of army staff Qamar Javed Bajwa has also “realised” that his institution made a “blunder” by bringing Imran Khan into power.

“Now this blunder should be thrown out of the country,” she said, adding that efforts were needed to rectify this mistake since “confession” alone was not enough.

While talking about the injustices faced by her family, the PML-N leader said that her father Nawaz Sharif came into power thrice with the “help of the people” but he was sent home every time on one pretext or another. She said the entire nation had witnessed economic growth during the tenure of Nawaz Sharif.

Observing that her party made the country a nuclear power, she said: “If we minus the development of nine years of PML-N tenures from Pakistan’s 75-year history, nothing is left in the country.”

The PML-N chief organiser urged workers to convey the message of the party to the masses in an effective way. She stated that the party would not only contest elections but it would win with public support.

In a comment on Kashmir Solidarity Day, Maryam Nawaz saluted the struggle of Kashmiri people who have been resisting the injustices committed by India. “One day Kashmir will become a part of Pakistan,” she said.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2023