ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said yesterday that the federal government was hoodwinking the public through false claims of economic revival.

Commenting on the political situation, he strongly condemned the ‘poor economic policies” of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf-led government.

“The PTI government cannot cover up its incompetence by blaming the IMF (International Monetary Fund) for inflation. The PTI government has handed over Pakistan’s sovereignty by signing on to the repressive terms of the IMF deal,” he said.

Bilawal questioned the incumbent government why was the inflation rate in Pakistan at 10.9 percent while India controlled it at 4.29 percent and Bangladesh at 5.54 percent during the pandemic.

“The mafia working under Imran Khan raised the price of chicken by 110 percent for PTI’s cartel to profit billions of rupees. And now, by reducing the rate slightly, they will also take credit for the price drop. On one hand, people do not have any money in their pockets. On the other hand, Imran Khan plans to reward PTI assembly members with billions of rupees in the budget,” he said.

He demanded that the national exchequer be spent on the welfare of citizens, not to “reward PTI members who came to power through rigged elections.” He added: “Rewarding 96 billion rupees to PTI members during an acute economic crisis is blatantly unjust, anti-people, and quite frankly grotesque.” 

PPP challenges PM to debate issues with Bilawal

Chairman PPP also criticised Imran Khan’s government for not presenting its five-year economic plan after the conclusion of the 11th economic plan. 

“If PTI’s economic plan is only to be beholden to the IMF’s dictation, then Imran Khan should admit to the people of Pakistan that he came to power, not with a plan to serve the people, but a plan to serve only his cronies and himself,” he said.

Meanwhile, speaking at a joint news conference here with Senator Rubina Khalid and Nazir Dhoki, PPP Central Secretary Information Faisal Karim Kundi said that there was one Pakistan for the Prime Minister and his cronies and a separate Pakistan for the other people. 

“Parliament should be taken into confidence, the Prime Minister and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari should have a debate in Parliament regarding foreign affairs, economy and other issues,” he said.

Kundi said the PTI does not have the courage to issue show cause notices to the people of Jahangir Tareen group. “If wheat and sugarcane crops have been good, then why sugar and bread have not become cheaper. If there has been good production of wheat and sugarcane, then why sugar and bread have not become cheaper,” he added.

The PPP leader said corruption ATMs in Ring Road, medicine, flour and sugar have been cleared, adding that the PPP demands that closed-door meetings be held on the issue of withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. 

On the Azad Jammu Kashmir polls, he said, “A new ATM machine in Kashmir elections wants to be the Prime Minister who is putting pressure on the people to support PTI. Election Commission should take notice of this. The government wants delay in Kashmir elections.”

He said that the Media Development Authority Ordinance has come from an ordinance “factory.” 

He said provinces were not getting water under Indus Basin Agreement and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was dumb.

“Now the PPP will demand Rs 586 trillion share of water from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to be given to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said. 

Kundi said performance speaks about which Chief Minuster was performing better. 

To a question, he said, if the Pakistan Democratic Movement implements the decision of the PPP Central Executive Committee, then “we will talk to the PDM.” 

Senator Rubina Khalid said that the Chancellor of 26 universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were exploiting teachers who were architects.