ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Omar Ayub Khan on Thursday questioned the delay in the appointment of the new governor of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), despite a passage of over three months.
Speaking at a presser, he said that the delay to appoint the SBP governor, the rupee depreciation, gambling, the NAB laws amendments, plundering of national wealth, etc, are some of the issues “we’d to face due to corrupt and dishonest rulers imposed on people of the country”.
He said that the average inflation measured by the Sensitive Price Index was 11.5pc in March 2022 during the PTI government which has now crossed 25pc while food inflation has reached 30.4 percent.
He said that increase in interest rate has brought the business to a standstill as it has been increased by 15.5 percent as it was 11pc when the PTI was in power, adding exchange rate was Rs182 in March 2022 and it went up to Rs240 in July.
“The current account deficit is at a record high which was $500 million during PTI government. And in June during [during incumbent rulers] it was $2.6 billion and that too due to under-reporting,” he added.
The exports were $3.2 billion during the PTI government, which has now come down to $2.2 billion, he said.
Omar said that the government is considering committing yet another blunder as it is going to sell out the shares of the Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDCL) and Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (PPL), valuing $4.5 billion, at a throwaway rate of $2.5 billion.
“The plea which the rulers have taken is that they will sell the OGDCL and PPL share at cheaper rates and then buy them at an exorbitant rate. Is this justified to sell out the silverware like this? And the changes in NAB law are nothing but to protect themselves from accountability in future for plundering like this,” he added.
Omar also said that under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the “imported regime” is busy selling out the state-owned entities at throwaway prices.
“The “imported regime” is bent upon selling state-owned entities at a throwaway price as the IMF has asked them to inject Rs4 billion in the national economy, which would further complicate the situation,” he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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