WEB DESK
Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday claimed that ‘fascist governments’ comprised of their worst enemies were treating them as traitors rather than political opponents.
In a televised address on Friday afternoon, he said that the country was currently beset with a myriad of crises.
Yet, instead of letting the public decide who should lead them, the government was instead focused on removing him from the picture.
Poor economy could lead to costly compromise
Imran painted a bleak picture of the country’s economy where the value of the Pakistani rupee had plummeted while the foriegn exchange reserves had also fallen to dangerous levels, giving rise to talks of default.
In such a scenario, he said that financing will only be offered on terms which could have a direct impact on Pakistan’s national security.
“In Sri Lanka and Egypt, when they sought financing in such a situation, they were told to cut their military expenses by half,” he said.
He noted that Pakistan’s national security too could be compromised as the country’s economy falters while raising taxes to astronomical levels in a bid to stabilize the economy.
Imran regretted that the country is being driven towards a point where ‘things could get out of everyone’s control’.
‘We are being treated as traitors’: Imran
Imran regretted that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Fawad Chaudhary and Azam Swati had been subjected to treatment which is usually reserved for hardened criminals and traitors.
But such a treatment was being meted out to those who are raising their voice against the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government.
He said 70 FIRs have been lodged against him as if he was some traitor.
Pakistani rupee at historically lowest value
Criticizing the PDM-led federal government, he said the US dollar gained Rs84 in the first nine months of Shehbaz Sharif led government compared to around Rs30 in his three and a half years.
He said PTI government left the foreign reserves at $16.4 billion which has now fallen to just $3.6 billion.
Addressing salaried individuals, Imran said the ongoing floods caused skyrocketing inflation which has hit the the salaried class hard, including laborers and the middle class.
He reiterated that Asif Ali Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif came into power only to quash their corruption cases.
Inflation and essential commodities prices
Imran, who once famously stated in public that as prime minister it was not his job to keep track of prices of essential commodities amid runaway inflation, predicted that the Consumer Price Index was 12% when he left and could rise to an unprecedented 35%.
The Sensitive Price Index was 16%, but now it would reach to up to 50%.
Imran said flour price was Rs60 per kg but now it reached Rs160 per kg.
Former prime minister Imran Khan said that PTI government left the country at the Rs16 per unit but now it has reached Rs36 per unit and with the recent wave of rupee devaluation, the per unit price would reach Rs44 per unit.
However, he admitted that the public had complained of high power prices during his tenure as well and stopped short of answering whether it had any impact on him though his expressions were nonchalant.
He said services industry performed well after 17 years under the PTI regime and that they managed to create 5 million jobs, but every single industry is being hit hard today due to the misaligned policies of the Shehbaz Sharif government.
The public has now seen what the genie of Ishaq Dar can do as well, he said.
