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Thursday March 28, 2024

PTI a threat to country’s future: JI leader

By Yousaf Ali
May 20, 2019

PESHAWAR: Terming the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) a serious threat to the future and survival of the country, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) provincial chief Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan on Sunday asked the government to tender an apology to the nation and quit power immediately.

The JI leader also announced to launch an anti-government drive for the protection of the rights of masses and against the sky-rocketing price hike. He made the announcement at a press conference at the party’s provincial headquarters here.Provincial secretary general Abdul Wasi, JI’s lone member in the National Assembly, Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, and assistant secretary general of the party Mian Sohaibuddin Kakakhel were also present on the occasion.

“During Ramazan, an active campaign will be launched on the social media and mainstream media to inform the people of the inabilities of the government and expose the fraud of PTI. After Eid, a series of seminars, protest demonstrations and rallies will be arranged at tehsil, district, division and province levels,” he said.

Final announcement about the agitation would, however, be given by the central leadership of the party, Mushtaq Ahmad Khan added. He said the unbearable price-hike of daily use items have really made life a living hell for the people during the holy month of Ramazan. He said the government has totally failed at economic front. “National economy has literally been made ‘Bermuda Triangle’ at the hand of PTI,” he remarked.

Sharing some statistics from the recently published State Bank’s report, Mushtaq said that the volume of loans has crossed the figure of Rs35,000 billion, of which addition of Rs5,200 billion was made during the nine months of the current government at the rate of 150 percent. This is the highest rate of loan taking during the initial few months of any government in the country, he argued.

The stock market situation is the worst during the past 17 years. Dollar value has reached Rs151 and gold is available at Rs71,000 per 10 gram.

“These are the economic indicators during the current government, which are enough to prove that the current government is a gang incapable people,” he said.

Mushtaq Ahmad Khan said that instead of giving any good news to the nation, the federal ministers are frequently heard spreading information about the further hike in prices of medicine and petroleum products.

He was of the opinion that even now the government was earning Rs37 in one litre of petroleum and Rs47 in a litre of diesel through levies and taxes.

The JI leader blasted the government’s proposed deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying that the deal was tantamount to selling the national and political sovereignty of the country for just $ 150 million a month.

He claimed that the deal with IMF was aimed at rolling back the 18th constitutional amendment, freezing National Finance Commission (NFC) Award and closing down madrassas.

The strange deal with the IMF verifies the fact that it is: “A government of the IMF, for the IMF and by the IMF,” he added.

The JI leader ridiculed the appointment of an economic team of the federal government.

“Raza Baqir is guest president of the State Bank and Hafeez Sheikh is a guest advisor. Both of them are employees of the IMF, while Shabbar Zaidi is a lawyer,” he said.

By bringing the whole economic team from the IMF, the government has surrendered the national economy to the IMF, he said.

The proposed deal with the IMF was neither presented in the parliament nor the cabinet, he maintained.

Mushtaq Ahmad Khan also condemned the provincial government’s decision to allow ministers and advisors to use helicopters, which was actually aimed at providing legal cover to the illegal use of a helicopter by unauthorised people.

The JI leader came down hard on the amnesty scheme announced by the federal government, which, he said, was aimed at providing protection to tax evaders, thieves and looters.

He also asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to stop using the name of the state of Madina as a political stunt.