Pakistan: Shaukat Tarin slams Shehbaz Sharif govt over 'confused' plan to end fuel subsidy

Taking a jibe at contradictory statements made by the Shehbaz Sharif government on fuel subsidy, former Finance Minister of Pakistan Shaukat Tarin said that the incumbent administration has no policy and is utterly confused in every decision it takes. His remarks came as the government announced that it was mulling gradually abolishing subsidies on petrol as well as a hike in its prices. At present, Pakistan is marred by a gruesome economic crisis with prices of goods rising by at least 12.7 per cent in March this year. 

Meanwhile, speaking to Ary News, he said that PM Imran Khan’s government never promised the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to end the subsidy. Furthermore, Tarin said that the Imran Khan had produced a comprehensive plan to arrange the funds required. Pakistan is currently under a  gross international debt of 74 per cent of GDP, as per IMF. As per The Nation, the country’s gross debt to GDP was 74 per cent in the fiscal year 2021. However, it is expected to plunge to 71.3 per cent in the current fiscal year and 66.8 per cent in the upcoming fiscal year. 

Additionally, the southeast Asian country is also facing a balance of payments crisis, its exchange rate is under pressure, reserves are locked at precarious levels, and a widening current account deficit threatens a total collapse. Slamming the incumbent Sharif administration for not being able to handle the crisis, he said they are panicked and have failed to tackle the issues with which the Pakistani economy is laced.

Khan slams Bhutto-Zardari’s visit

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday slammed the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s visit to the US, with fresh allegations of corruption. Khan stated that Bilawal Bhutto will “beg” for money from his US counterpart Antony Blinken while he is in the US so that he (Imran Khan) could not come back into power. Continuing on his tirade on the ‘imported government’ claim, Khan reiterated that the US made ‘Pakistan a slave’ without invading the country. Bhutto-Zardari Is scheduled to visit the US next week. 

(With inputs from agencies)

(Image: Shaukat_Tarin/ Mian ShehbazSharif/Twitter)