Govt has no strategy to tackle inflation: Shehbaz

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) President and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has expressed concerns over the increase in the LNG prices and the dangers of possible energy shortage in the country.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, he said that dollar, LNG, inflation, unemployment were at the highest level in history of the country. He said the government had no strategy and global and domestic conditions were making it impossible for the people already crushed under inflation to survive.

Shehbaz demanded that the matter should be taken up seriously before time runs out. He said the deteriorating situation was demanding that the needs of the country and the people be taken into consideration.

The increase in LNG prices proved that Nawaz Sharif's long-term agreement to purchase LNG was the right decision, Shehbaz said adding that Nawaz Sharif had agreed on LNG at US$10 while today the price of LNG had reached US$56.

He said the rising price of LNG up to US$56 per MMBTU had exposed another wrong decision of the Imran Niazi’s government. “Had long-term agreements been maintained, the nation could have been saved from a shortage of expensive LNG and energy today,” he added.

He said due to political revenge and enmity with the PMLN, the present government made decisions on semester basis and officials were also following the same programme. He added that there was no policy and only looting was going on.

The media had exposed the government corruption in furnace oil, diesel and LNG and documents had come to light but no action had been taken by any institution of the country, Shehbaz said and concluded that the government was only robbing people and the gradual rise in energy prices would be an unbearable burden on people.