Criticizing the ruling party on economic front, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Friday reiterated his demand for early elections. In a tweet, he said: "With economic disaster looming and a complete paralysis of governance, Pakistan needs early elections to save and strengthen democracy."
Imran in earlier tweets made references to a World Bank report on the state of Pakistan's economy. He said that World Bank on Thursday raised alarm bells for Pakistan's economy and predicted that inflation would increase to six per cent next year as it linked Pakistan's bullish economic prospects with the continuation of reforms to address the current and fiscal account deficits. "The World Bank, in a highly critical report, exposed the disaster created by PML-N. The report warned that Pakistan's macroeconomic conditions significantly worsened in the past one year and heavy reliance on short-term foreign commercial loans would create repayment issues for Pakistan," he tweeted.
In its biannual Pakistan Development Update, the World Bank said macroeconomic imbalances have significantly worsened over the last nine to 12 months. It said long-term fiscal reforms, especially those aiming to broaden the tax net and ensure tax compliance, would improve fiscal outcomes, while reforms to improve the competitiveness of the export sector and the economy will contribute to improved external balances and attract more foreign direct investment to meet the country's external financing needs.
Later speaking at a press conference, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi demanded the Prime Minister to remove Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, as he is reluctant to step down despite all graft cases against him. He said that Pakistan has become a laughing stock before the world, as a man whose accounts have been frozen by the courts following corruption cases and money laundering is still in-charge of Pakistan's economy, which is not only unfortunate but also a disgrace to the country.