KARACHI - A noted Pakistani economist has warned of alleged foreign dictation on the matter of coming caretaker set-up in the country.

Prof Dr Shahida Wizarat, head of department of economics and director research at Institute of Business Management, addressing a press conference in Karachi Press Club (KPC) here Friday said the establishment in Pakistan is being pressurised that such people should be included in the coming caretaker set-up in Pakistan, who could eagerly serve the US interests.

She said: “I hereby warn the nation about the foreign conspiracies regarding the coming caretaker set-up.” She said according to her sources a US lady diplomat asked the Pakistani establishment to include some particular people in the coming caretaker government who could safeguard the US interests in Pakistan. She asked if any country would allow another country to meddle into its internal affairs. She asked if Pakistan was a banana republic or a colony of some foreign power.

Dr Wizarat said India and the US are very close to one another, but the US dare not interfere into the internal matters of India. She said the foreign dictation to our people is tantamount to disgrace and scandalize our institutions. She said it is also being said that it is necessary to install some economic expert as the caretaker Prime Minister.

She said the names of two economic experts are being circulated in this regard who remained associated to the Pakistan economy in 1990s and gave Pakistan the gifts of increased loans, deceasing growth rate, inequality in distribution of wealth, poverty and social and economic instability.

These people served for the vested interests of their foreign masters and made Pakistan increasingly dependent to those countries, she said, adding presently both these economists live abroad and presumably they are dual nationals. She said our institutions should probe into their background, activities and loyalties of these people.

She said the apex court has already ordered that the people with dual nationality are not eligible for serving government. She asked if this rule also applies to the caretaker government.  She claimed that according to an agreement between the sitting government in Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) the strategic entities of Pakistan would be privatized to the US companies.

She said the previous establishment in Pakistan bravely safeguarded the economic national interests of Pakistan and played a decisive role in the sensitive matters pertaining to privatization of PPL and OGDC. She asked if the present establishment would follow suit.

Dr Wizarat said presently the strategic interests of Pakistan are not linked to the US, but Pakistan is getting closer to China and Russia. She feared that a foreign-installed caretaker government may not continue this policy and may harm the matters related to the CPEC.

She said instead of looking for some blue-eyed boy of the external powers, why we cannot nominate our respected Pakistani personalities like Dr Abdul Qadir Khan, Dr Adeeb Rizvi and Ali Ahmed Kurd for the slot of the caretaker prime minister.  She regretted that the people who in past took care of the American interests in Pakistan gave noting to this country and some of them even became the security risk for this nation.