No country willing to support new govt: Asad Umar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf secretary general Asad Umar Sunday said that no foreign country was willing to lend support to the government, claiming Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had returned “empty-handed” from trips seeking financial aid to help Pakistan’s ailing economy.

Addressing a news conference, he claimed that no country including China, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE and even the International Monetary Fund were willing to bail out Pakistan. He then quoted experts as saying that the situation in Pakistan was bleak and it was just “weeks away from a Sri Lanka-like situation.”

He alleged Premier Shehbaz Sharif was clueless about the economy and did not have the courage to take decisions and claimed Finance Minister Miftah Ismail was looking at Shehbaz Sharif, who looked at Ishaq Dar, who relied on Nawaz Sharif, while the convicted former PM, in turn, was hopelessly looking at Asif Zardari and the cycle continued. The PTI leader believes PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari is enjoying the current situation the most in which PM Shehbaz Sharif is completely helpless.

Asad Umar threw light on the former PTI government’s economic record, predicting the growth rate could have gone as high as 6pc cent this year and it would have been made possible owing to the measures taken by his government in the last two years for an economic revival.

He maintained that it would be for the first time after 15 years that economic growth was above 5pc for two consecutive years and that the no-confidence motion had impeded economic growth and progress. He pointed out that the reserves of the State Bank of Pakistan had declined by 37pc after the no-confidence motion against the PTI government succeeded.

About the PTI government’s achievements, he noted the industrial sector had never witnessed a growth of up to 7pc since 2005, however, the current year was the second consecutive year when the industrial growth rate stood at 10pc and energy production increased by 10pc during the PTI government's period.

Referring to a statement by Finance Minister Miftah Ismail made several months ago wherein he had warned the PTI government of an opposition protest if the price of petrol was hiked from Rs137 per litre, he reminded Miftah that he must now keep in mind his statement before taking any decision on the petrol price.

He insisted that no one had confidence in the government’s affirmation that it would complete its tenure and claimed that no investor appeared to be believing it. “No one can clearly predict who will be in the government next month and even the government is unsure about it,” he added.

Meanwhile, in a tweet, he said time was running out and the economic condition of the country was deteriorating with each passing day. He also tweeted the country’s growth forecast for this year had been above 5pc.