Govt stabbing people in back through mini budget: Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif Monday said the proposed mini-budget would turn out to be a lethal poison for the country and its national interests including national security, nuclear programme, economic sovereignty and Kashmir.

“I again tell the government people and allies that mini-budget is a cup of poison, stay away from it," Shehbaz said in a statement said. He said that the mini budget would leave Pakistan’s economy dependent on external support. He said mini budget was like stabbing a knife in the back of Pakistan and its people, adding that they should fight against it.

He maintained that instead of slitting people and the economy’s throat with a mini-budget, the government needed a 10 years’ sustainable economic strategy, he added.

“A 10-year policy will have to be formulated to get Pakistan out of the quagmire of problems. Only by consistently working on this 10-year economic policy, the country can get out of the current economic quagmire,” he added.

The PMLN leader said that the government had neither the capacity nor vision to formulate a 10-year plan for sustainable economic growth, nor could it build consensus.

Shehbaz suggested that policy rate would have to be reduced which would increase business activities, reduce the pressure on debt payments and cut inflation. He said that economic foundations could not be raised on false promises, illusions, rising inflation, surging current deficit and continuous depreciation of rupees.

Shehbaz said the government held talks with the IMFin a hurry and no seriousness or readiness was shown. Meanwhile, senior PMLN leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Monday chaired a parliamentary meeting to discuss ways to oust the PTI-led government and devise a strategy to give tough time to it, particularly when it attempts to get the mini budget bill passed by the House.

The meeting discussed the mini-budget, finance bill, and talked about the autonomy of the State Bank of Pakistan. The meeting also called upon the parliamentarians from the PTI and its allies to effectively oppose passage of the mini budget in the National Assembly. “The price-hike has already broken back of people while loans have surged to over 50 thousand billion rupees,” a statement issued after the meeting said.

The meeting was attended by Khwaja Muhammad Asif, PMLN spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, Nisar Ahmed Cheema, Chaudhry Hamid Hameed, Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Maiza Hameed and others.

The meeting decided to strongly oppose the legislation envisaging ‘mini budget’ to meet the IMF conditions. It was also decided that a joint meeting of the opposition would be held to discuss the issue.