Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, announced on Monday that the government has accepted all of the conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and that negotiations are ongoing for the final conditions.
The announcement was made at a parliamentary meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N).
In the meeting, the Prime Minister discussed the country’s critical economic situation, blaming the previous government’s agreement with the international lender for the record inflation.
Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was criticised by Sharif for signing an IMF programme with strict conditions and then suspending it by breaking those conditions. Sharif added that this action “has trapped Pakistan in an economic quagmire.”
The Prime Minister acknowledged that the IMF agreement has left his administration with few options, but he emphasised that the country’s economic situation will improve and that his administration’s intentions are clear. Sharif also expressed his confidence that the nation will quickly emerge from the current crisis.
The Prime Minister also discussed the Supreme Court and its purported role in political instability. He continued by saying that the court is constantly offering relief to the “political destabilizer” and that the attitude towards the PML-N leadership had changed.
He also emphasised the government’s initiatives to assist the less fortunate, including the Ramadan distribution of free flour to 100 million low-income households.
The floods that wracked large portions of the nation also caused concern from the Prime Minister, who noted that the federal government had given the flood victims Rs100 billion.
He continued by saying that derogatory language was used against friendly nations and that false accusations regarding Chinese projects had been made.
He denounced the fabrication that trade would begin with Israel and vowed that Pakistan would maintain its principled stance until the Palestinians were granted their rights.
The Prime Minister concluded by thanking the PML-N party members for supporting the party leadership during the most trying times.
