Only PML-N envisaged long-term planning, claims Ahsan

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader Ahsan Iqbal said Monday the way the party’s government performed under Nawaz Sharif between 2013 and 2018 won appreciations even from international organisations, reported local media.

Addressing a news conference, he said, “So much so that one of the organisations was so impressed by the PML-N government’s policies that it even had predicted that Pakistan would be in G-20 in a few years from now.”

He told Prime Minister Imran Khan that it was PMLN that had envisaged long-term planning. “Prime minister, you are responsible for the country’s destruction since you threw a spanner in the works of PMLN government in connivance with the local and foreign agencies. You tried to topple our government through a sit-in in 2014.

And you exploited the situation, arising out of the Panama leaks and created uncertainty in the country with the help of your foreign donors,” he said, and added, “Contrary to the PMLN government, which had borrowed Rs10,000 billion in 10 years, you have borrowed Rs13,000 billion in just three years.”

Ahsan said and the irony was that the government was going ahead with borrowing loans to bridge the deficit since it had failed to meet the tax target. “You cannot dupe us by lecturing on economic and foreign policies and Indian mode of governance,” the PML-N leader said, and questioned, “Have you controlled inflation, provided 10 million jobs to the youth and other economic issues confronting the country.”

He said, “All Pakistanis had witnessed the economic catastrophe of the country at your hands Mr Prime Minister. That’s why people have rejected you in recently-held by-elections in Khushab, Daska and other areas,” he said.

He accused PM Imran of patronising mafias. “And now you are going to commit ‘corruption’ bigger than that of Rawalpindi Ring Road scandal by distributing Lahore’s Walton Airport’s land of worth billions of rupees among your friends and blue-eyed boys.

He called for a transparent inquiry into the ‘Walton airport scandal’. PMLN leader also hit out at the CPEC authority, saying it was a burden on the national exchequer.