Following the PTI chief’s press conference, Dar delivered a televised speech in which he sharply criticised the policies of the Khan-led administration and accused Khan of striking a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to give the IMF the opportunity to direct Pakistan’s economy.
Khan was criticised for the massive devaluation of the rupee against the US dollar, the delay in the ninth review of the IMF programme, and the closure of several industries. “The IMF has been dictating economic policies now, and Khan was responsible for it because he made mistakes in running the economy,” the finance minister claimed.
In September of last year, Dar, who took over Miftah Ismail’s duties as finance minister, noted that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) administration had left the GDP growth at 6.1% in 2018.
He claimed that the net GDP expanded by $26 billion while the PTI was in power, compared to a $112 billion increase from 2013 to 2018 under the PML-N.
In response to Pakistan PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s remarks about the nation’s economy, he stated, “During our [PML- N’s] previous tenure, foreign rating agencies anticipated Pakistan will join G20 by 2030.”
Dar referred to Khan’s address as “full of deceit” and claimed that the PTI leader gave “concocted bogus economic data” that were not grounded in truth.
He asserted that Khan’s administration’s poor economic decisions led to the current recession and inflation.
We had to decide between saving the country and our politics, but we chose to sacrifice politics for the good of the nation, according to the finance minister.
Dar noted that the per capita income was $1,798 during the PML-previous N’s administration but only $1,768 under the PTI
He said that the inflation rate was 8.6% under the previous PML-N administration but jumped to double digits under the PTI administration.
Additionally, he continued, “food inflation was 2% during the previous PML-N administration but rose to 12% under PTI.”
The finance czar continued by saying that foreign direct investment was nonexistent under Khan’s rule, whereas it had reached $2,000 million under the PML-N administration.
He emphasised that the efforts “to eradicate the danger of terrorism and load shedding” were the reason why the current account deficit during the PML-previous N’s administration was $19.2 billion.
