Difficult decisions: PMLN not to solely bear the brunt, says Rana Sanaullah

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah on Saturday said that difficult decisions are to be taken for putting the economy back on track but the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) is not ready to solely bear the brunt of the whole situation.

While talking in Geo News programme Naya Pakistan of Shahzad Iqbal, the minister said the PMLN has the ability to revive the economy, ruined by an incompetent gang, but there is a cost for it, and the PMLN is ready to pay its part of the cost. But he said it is not ready to take responsibility of everything. He said that all other allies must come clear and show how much burden they were ready to shoulder for reviving the economy.

On the question of abolition of subsidy, Rana Sanaullah said the PMLN has not yet taken any decision and how can the party solely take such a decision in this regard. He said that it is a coalition government and the decision will be taken with consensus on withdrawal of subsidy.

"It is our decision that subsidy cannot be abolished and if it is abolished, inflation will increase and there is no doubt that it will cost heavily on our political standing."

He said the incompetent coterie of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) plundered the country and pulled it to 'darkness' as corruption during their tenure surged to new heights. He lambasted the incompetent coterie of the previous government, which had destroyed the economy and for that reason, according to the minister, the PMLN and its allied parties are facing the burden of previous government's leader's (Imran Khan) misgovernance.

He vowed to put the country back on track and said that with the help of allied parties, the current economic situation would improve.

Commenting as to when the elections would take place and about the PMLN election strategy, the minister maintained that his party was not afraid of going into elections. Moreover, when pressed about his party plans to contest joint elections with allied parties or if they would field their own candidates, the minister replied no such decision has been made by the party leadership and the PMLN has its manifesto.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Nayyar Bukhari said on Saturday that the allies would take the decisions with consensus, keeping in view the national interest. He said that all the parties of coalition government have their specific roles and approach. He said that consensus decision would be accepted.

Nayyar said that Imran Khan took an impossible decision of not raising the petroleum product prices till June but the government cannot give subsidy of Rs125 billion on petroleum products each month. He said that the decision to raise petroleum product prices has political ramifications and the PPP would consider all the aspects and take a decision in national interest.