LAHORE: PML-N leader Khwaja Saad Rafiq has conceded that economy is in bad shape but claimed it could have been worse had PTI not been ousted from power in 2022.

Speaking at an election meeting on Sunday, the PML-N leader said the government has no resources to pay salaries to its employees and squarely blamed PTI’s policies for the poor economic condition.

He said the “looming danger of a default” was the reason for bringing a no-confidence motion against former prime minister Imran Khan in 2022.

“If no confidence [motion] had failed, Pakistan would have defaulted like Sri Lanka. Bread would’ve cost Rs500 and the value of US dollar would’ve increased to Rs1,000.”

The PML-N leader added that there were doubts regarding the move, and the then opposition was told to let the ex-PM “die a political death”.

He claimed Mr Khan had plans to appoint the army chief and chief justice of his choice to pave the way for “staying at the helm for 20 years like Putin”.

After ousting the PTI leader from power, Mr Rafiq said, the coalition government started on the “treacherous journey” to revive the economy.

“The coffers were empty, and no country was ready to lend a single dollar since their leaders were miffed at him [Mr Khan].”

Pakistan was forced to go back to the IMF because no other country was willing to help without the Fund’s programme, the PML-N leader said.

The former railway minister claimed PML-N leadership knew it would have to pay a political price for accepting the “baggage of the PTI” but added that the decision was taken “for the sake of the country”.

He urged the people not to take the Feb 8 general elections lightly and come out to vote for the PML-N so that it could resume “the journey toward progress and development,” which has been left incomplete since 2018.

“We need a government and a leader who knows how to work and deal with the world to bring investment in the country.”

Mr Rafiq stressed that elections had been held in the past as well, but this time, it would be different, and PML-N supporters must not take the exercise easy by abstaining from voting.

He also complained about the delimitation, claiming that many areas which were his stronghold have been carved out of his constituency.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2024