WEB DESK
Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday criticized the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for conducting a campaign assured that Pakistan would not default.
Addressing a press conference alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, Dar said that the national debt of $25 billion has nearly doubled to $44 billion. The cost of medicines has increased by 300 to 400%. He said that the opposition, who has cried hoarse about the country defaulting and of unproven corruption allegations and mismanagement of the incumbent institution on a global scale. All this has achieved, he said, was to damage Pakistan’s credibility and, thus, its ability to get out of the crisis.
Criticizing the opposition, Dar said that it was quite difficult for them to get support for the country. On the current challenges faced by the government, Dar said that those desiring the country default will never come true. He added that there was no reason for Pakistan to default and that Imran Khan can take his wish for Pakistan to default to his grave.
Moreover, he stated that there will be a crackdown on those who are smuggling wheat and US dollars from the country and urged the government to take extreme steps, including sealing the borders if they have to stop the smuggling of precious commodities.