PTI govt destroying economy: Shahbaz

LONDON: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif has said that now is the time to move on from the subject of Army chief’s service extension from the two houses of Parliament to the real issues of PTI government’s abysmal failure in the areas of economy and governance.

Shahbaz Sharif was speaking to media outside the Avenfield flats after seeing off Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan, who paid a visit to Nawaz Sharif to enquire about his health.

Karzai and Afghan Ambassador to the UK Syed Jawad stayed with Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif for an hour. Karzai told Pakistani media that he was “delighted” to meet Nawaz Sharif and was happy on the decision to come and see him personally. “I am very happy upon meeting my good friend Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif,” said Karzai.

Shahbaz Sharif said that it was PML-N’s unanimous decision to support the Army Act after a meeting of PML-N stalwarts in London. He said: “It’s a fact that PTI government had already issued extension notification for General Bajwa and the Supreme Court of Pakistan had asked the Parliament to make necessary legislation with a specific time frame. There was no hue and cry then at that time. There are precedents where extension was done without any legislation. Pervez Musharraf and other dictators gave themselves extension but this time the Parliament has given extension and did the required legislation.”

Shahbaz Sharif said that it is time to move on from the topic as discussing a non-issue will push to back seat the real issues. He said that Imran Khan’s government deliberately created the extension issue through bad intentions. “The real issues facing Pakistan are poverty, unemployment, joblessness and healthcare crisis.

Nawaz Sharif did the historic job of development of dealing with economic crisis within four months. Nawaz Sharif will be remembered for the development work he has done, improving economy and dealing with the electricity crisis.”

The former Punjab chief minister said that under the PTI government, all sectors of the economy stand destroyed and there is no governance anywhere. “PTI promised to provide five million homes and 10 million jobs but instead millions have lost jobs and homes and the government has no plan.

We believe that the country is today gripped in foreign loans. I don’t just blame this government but the fact is that this government has broken record of all previous governments. Pakistan has not seen anything like this what it has been in 18 months of PTI’s government. Pakistan has not seen a bigger ‘U-turn master and liar’ like Imran Khan who has destroyed Pakistan’s economy.”