ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Secretary Information, Marriyum Aurangzeb, has asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to apologies for telling a “lie” to the nation that he will never seek an IMF programme and instead will “commit suicide”.

Reacting to the government’s move to get mini-budget approval from the federal cabinet and the monthly economic outlook report, the PML-N spokesperson lashed out at the government, saying that the prime minister, by giving approval to the mini budget, would give a nod to inflict a new “scourge” of inflation on the country with his own hands.

“The person, who had promised with the nation that “he would never approach the IMF and instead would commit suicide”, would sign the mini budget on the IMF’s dictation and [would] ultimately bring a new scourge of inflation on the people with his own hands,” she maintained.

She further accused the prime minister of telling “lies” to the nation and asked him to tender an apology to the people of Pakistan.

Referring to the monthly economic outlook report, she said that the acknowledgment of continuation of high inflation in the Finance Ministry’s report was a validation of the “economic catastrophe”.

“The government should refrain from releasing reports based on propaganda, rather it must resign, so that the people and the country’s economy can take a sign of relief,” she added.

She stated that the alleged concealment of inflation figures by the Finance Ministry raises questions about the credibility of the report.

“It is a fact that inflation is in double digits in December which is, in fact, validates that the economic catastrophe continues,” she said, adding that neither the nation nor the economists have a trust in the statistics of the Ministry of Finance.

She maintained that the government had earlier prevented the Statistics Department from releasing the weekly price index. “The State Bank of Pakistan and other institutions have already raised objections over the Finance Ministry’s figures, while the nation also has no trust in the government which had earlier claimed of a tax-free budget and now imposing Rs355 billion indirect taxes through the mini budget,” she further maintained.

She stated that the government had increased the prices of electricity, gas, food, and other essential commodities, which had led to 11 percent rise in inflation in November alone, while the constant depreciation of the rupee has led to a “tsunami” of inflation and “economic catastrophe” in the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021