ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secretary-general, Ahsan Iqbal, has accused the government of striking a “deal” on Kashmir to rollover a $1 billion of a “friendly” country, besides putting autonomy of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) at stake for getting $500 million installment from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Talking to media persons here on Wednesday, the PML-N leader blamed the government for striking a “deal” on Kashmir to rollover $ 1 billion of a “friendly” country.
“Kashmir has been put on the back burner as a result of diplomacy done through a “friendly” country and now the government is signing summaries to import cotton and food from India – the same one for which we were being mocked,” he claimed in an apparent reference to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which has reportedly played a role in brokering the February 25 Pakistan-India ceasefire along the Line of Control.
“Whether India has reversed the illegal annexation of Kashmir? Did India give any concession due to which the government is now extending gestures in return? All these reflect that this government lacks competence to safeguard the national interests and now they [the government] are attempting to receive the price of its incompetence through compromising on the national interest and it would be the 220 million Pakistanis who will pay the ultimate price,” he further maintained.
He pointed out that the government has changed three finance ministers and a number of other ministers in three years.
“I’m surprised as to how could a person [PM] be given the “driving seat” of a nuclear power – Pakistan – who even doesn’t know how to run the economy, the politics, and the foreign policy of the country,” he asked.
He further alleged that an “anti-CPEC” government was “imposed” in Pakistan, which benefited Iran in the shape of $400 billion projects signed with China.
“We are happy that Iran is a brotherly country in our neighbour. But it caused a huge damage to Pakistan by creating political instability and through a government which is anti-development and anti-CPEC,” he further alleged, adding that the dream which was attached to the CPEC has been shattered.
He also questioned the credibility and performance of the CPEC Authority.
He also alleged that the government has put the autonomy of the SBP at stake for getting $500 million installment from the IMF. “The purpose of mortgaging SBP is to bargain Pakistan’s national financial sovereignty. The SBP would now not be answerable to the Parliament, but to the international financial institutions. Its governor and other officials would now not be answerable to any national institution and its mandate would now not be growth of the country’s economy,” he lamented.
Ahsan Iqbal alleged that the government has imposed taxes to tune of Rs700 billion on the dictation of the IMF through an ordinance in violation of the Constitution as a money bill can only be originated in the National Assembly and cannot be imposed through ordinances.
“Any money bill has to be originated in the National Assembly under Article 73 of the Constitution. Now this government has started playing with Constitution and the Parliament for the reason only that they want to up float its “sinking boat” at the cost of the national interest,” he alleged.
“They have also given the authority of implementing of Pakistan’s Constitution to the IMF and it would now decide the money bills would now approve through the parliament or the ordinances,” he further alleged.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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