Pakistan is witnessing downward economic and social indicators as the ruling party has no “vision” and “capability”, opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has said, in a scathing attack on Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government that has just completed its 100 days in office.
The PML-N leaders issued a White Paper late Friday, a day after Prime Minister Khan celebrated 100 days of his government and asserted that the country was put on path to progress.
In the white paper on the 100 days of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led administration, the PML-N criticised the government for “spending millions of rupees on advertisements in newspapers on its 100-day programme” and halting developmental construction projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Dawn reported.
The $50 billion CPEC, launched in 2015, is a planned network of roads, railways and energy projects linking China’s resource-rich Muslim-majority Xinjiang province with Pakistan’s strategic Gwadar Port.
“All economic and social indicators are showing downward trend during the first three months of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)-led administration,” according to the white paper.
Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi challenged Finance Minister Asad Umar to sit with him for a public debate to compare the performance of the previous PML-N and present government.
“The PTI had accused former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and his Sindh counterpart Murad Ali Shah of giving ads in such newspapers, but has itself done the same thing,” Mr. Abbasi said.
He also alleged that the devaluation of the Pakistani currency on Friday, during which it slumped to Rs 144 against the USD on a record low, was a result of the “irresponsible” speech by Mr. Khan delivered a day earlier.
“It ill behoves a prime minister to talk about eggs, chicken and calves at the national level,” he said.
In his speech on Thursday, Mr. Khan had said that investors were coming to invest as country was put on right direction to development.
On the claim made by Mr. Khan that the government had received information from 26 countries that Pakistanis had stashed over $11 billion in foreign countries, Mr. Abbasi demanded that the name of all these Pakistanis be made public so that the nation could know who these people were, the paper reported.
“But before exposing their names, the prime minister should check whether the names of his relatives, friends and allies are not on the list,” he said.
The former premier said the tax amnesty scheme launched by his government was the only way to expand the tax net and lure more foreign investment, urging the PTI government to continue the policy.
“Aleema Khan, the sister of Prime Minister Imran Khan, also got benefit under the same scheme last year,” he added.
