Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the eve of the PML-N-led coalition govt’s 1st anniversary in power, saying that the incumbent set up reversed the economic and diplomatic “failures” of the former ruling party.
His statement came after Pakistan’s inflation fell to the lowest level since September 2015 and the coalition government is going to complete its one year in power tomorrow.
“Those who were betting on [Pakistan’s] default are in turmoil today,” Tarar said while referring to the former ruling party during a press conference in Islamabad today.
On March 4, Shehbaz Sharif took the oath to officially become prime minister for a second time, nearly four weeks after an uncertain national election caused delays in forming a coalition government.
Shehbaz, 72, officially took up office at a swearing-in ceremony at the presidential office in the nation’s capital, Islamabad, a day after parliament elected him prime minister despite protests from lawmakers aligned with jailed former premier Imran Khan.
Tarar criticised the Imran Khan-founded party that had celebrated the drop in the country’s current account and sent letters to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“We sacrificed our politics for the state,” said Tarar, adding that important decisions for the country’s development were made under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to avert default.
Claiming that all economic indicators were positive, Tarar highlighted that the inflation rate had dropped to its lowest level in nine years, the interest rate also declined to 12%, and the stock exchange is also performing better with each passing day.
He went on to say that the coalition government also restored the country’s reputation and contacts globally, reversing Pakistan’s “global isolation” due to PTI’s diplomatic failures.
The minister added that positive sentiments were being expressed for Pakistan at the international level as many global personalities, including Turkiye president, Abu Dhabi crown prince and others, paid official visits and expressed interest in investments in Pakistan.
