LAHORE: PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday said Finance Minister Ishaq Dar should resign immediately after the IMF reje­cted the national budget as “it did not trust the PDM coalition government”.

Mr Qureshi told a presser in Multan that Rs215 billion additional taxes were imposed in the revised budget, which was altogether different from the one presented to the nation. The IMF was unsatisfied with the revenue targets while industries were currently in a state of crisis, he said, adding that 40 per cent textile industries were shut and the financial crisis might render more units dysfunctional.

Since Mr Dar had “completely failed”, Mr Qur­eshi said, his portfolio be assigned to some other minister. “The Intern­ational Monetary Fund has no confidence in Dar” as the latter failed to secure IMF trust at any level, he added.

About the amnesty scheme of the PDM government that no question will be asked on bringing $100,000 into the country, the PTI leader said the IMF had rejected the amnesty scheme.

Currently around 2.5 million people were jobless due to the closure of the textile sector, he said.

Mr Qureshi added that the production of large-scale manufacturing was also badly affected amid prolonged power outages in the country.

Also in a state of shambles was the agriculture sector, he said, pointing out that farmers had completely rejected the five per cent excise duty being imposed on fertilisers.

He said the PDM government had failed to give a “strong reply” to the US-India joint statement. He said the foreign office did not comment on the treatment of minorities in India and no one was speaking about the situation of Muslims in India.

To a question about leaving the PTI, Mr Qureshi said he had risen above the “politics of designation and ticket”. He was tightly holding the party flag and would not ditch PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

He demanded the government release PTI workers immediately so that they could spend Eid with their families.

Replying to a query about general elections, Mr Qureshi said if there was a constitution in the country, the assembly would complete its tenure in August and the general elections would be held in October.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2023