Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair has said that economic policies of the government have ruined the country's economy. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, he said that high inflation and unemployment have added to the poverty increase in the country, adding that the increase in prices of essential commodities has resulted in a huge burden on the life of a common man.
He said that that the government expenditures have increased by 200 percent, while sugar price has increased from Rs 45 to Rs 80. He said contrary to the government tall claims, its income witnessed Rs 450 billion reduction.
He maintained that massive adjustments undertaken by the government under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program also led to suffocation of the economy and rise in unemployment and poverty. He said that during the PML-N government, growth was increasing while inflation was decreasing and this trend has been reversed during the PTI government with growth decreasing to 2.4 percent from 5.8 percent and inflation has increased to 12 percent from 3.9 percent. He further said that more than 2 million people rendered jobless due to the incompetent government.
He deplored that giving free medicines and the facility of free of cost tests of the patients at the hospitals have been stopped which has further added to the miseries of the people.
He said the present government has added more to the country's debt in less than one-and-a-half-year than the total debt added by the PML-N in five years. This, he added, is scary pace of increase in the debt by any government in the history of the country in one year.
He further said that Pakistan which was on higher growth trajectory during the PML-N government is now on lower growth trajectory. He said that the economy which was being included in five emerging economies of the world is the lowest economy in the region and the major challenge is how to cater for the needs of 120 million youth and stated that Pakistan is being pushed to the verge of social and economic pains and the situation may lead towards instability.