PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf central information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said here on Saturday that the recent report of International Monetary Fund (IMF) exposed corrupt practices and poor performance of federal government.

Speaking at a press conference, he said that federal government’s silence and not rejecting or giving any clarification over the IMF report showed that the report was based on facts. The press conference was also attended by KP Minister for Excise Syed Fakhar Jehan and PTI deputy information secretary Ikram Katana.

Mr Akram said that the IMF report exposed serious governance and financial irregularities in the country. “The report has exposed the performance of federal government. In a world driven by data, IMF has published detailed indicators that have raised major concerns,” he added.

He said that the IMF document highlighted corruption amounting to Rs5.3 trillion, with details spread over 180 pages. He said that the report declared the mentioned Rs5.3 trillion corruption as a small fraction of the actual corrupt practices.

Sheikh Waqas condemns Imran’s ‘solitary confinement’

The PTI leader also demanded explanation from Federal Minister Attaullah Tarar and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and asked them to inform the nation about the report. “If IMF’s claims are incorrect, the government must respond. The silence on the part of federal government over the report has raised questions,” he added.

He criticised rising costs, alleged misuse of contracts and political interference in tendering processes. According to the report, he said, the state has no grip on the economy while the underdeveloped countries have their hold on their economies.

“The report has linked the government decisions with political patronage, favours and recommendations,” said Mr Akram. He said that government companies were given contracts without competitions, leaving no space for private firms to participate in the healthy competition. That was why IMF declared public procumbent as the most corrupt sector of the country, he added.

He said that the report revealed that 60 per cent of bank loans were taken by federal government for hiding its deficits.

“How private sector will grow if the major share of loan is taken by government? The banking sector has become an extended branch of federal finance department,” he said.

The PTI leader said that the report also exposed irregularities in investments in Pakistan. He said that selected firms having backing of political parties usually got loans in the name of investments that were mostly never returned.

He said that IMF also underscored weaknesses in judiciary, saying millions of cases were pending in the courts while dozens of courts and tribunals were busy in distributing powers. He alleged that foreign and local investors lost trust in courts as they were not expecting to get justice related to their investments.

Mr Akram said that powers of government departments were overlapping owing to which opportunities of corruptions were increasing. Referring to prolonged restrictions on meetings with PTI founder Imran Khan, he said that preventing family members and lawyers from meeting him was a violation of basic legal rights.

He stated that even under older prison laws and colonial-era practices, families were allowed access to detainees. “The court has repeatedly granted permission, yet meetings are not allowed,” he added.

He also condemned the alleged solitary confinement of Imran Khan. “Keeping a political prisoner locked 22 hours a day is extreme injustice. “Even the KP chief minister attempted to meet the PTI founder seven times, but he was stopped outside the prison each time,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2025