The members of the Parliament on Monday expressed their optimism in the wake of the government’s efforts for clinching the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) bailout after meeting all its preconditions.
Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Kiran Imran Dar of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), while talking to APP outside the Parliament House, said the government was diligently working on securing the IMF bailout package to pull out the country of the economic crisis. Though Pakistan had successfully met all the preconditions, but the delay was on the part of the Fund, she added.
Kiran Dar said the coalition government was unable to extend fuel subsidies to the poor masses bearing the burden of the economic crunch due to the IMF.
Member of the National Assembly Dr Qadir Khan Mandokhail of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) said the coalition government would present the budget and manage the financial crisis with the support of China, which was an all-weather friend of Pakistan.
The neighbouring country, he said, had already provided billions of dollars for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which was halted by the last Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan should tell the nation why he had stopped work on the CPEC projects, which was a guarantee for the prosperous future of the country, he added.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had made effective diplomacy to improve the country’s image among the comity of nations that also helped revive the CPEC initiative which was introduced by former President Asif Ali Zardari, Mandokhel said. MNA Seema Mohiuddin Jameeli of the PML-N said the IMF was delaying the bailout package due to the ill-conceived policies and decisions of the PTI regime.
She added that the coalition government in limited time made great efforts to resolve the economic crisis perpetrated by the PTI government.
Parliamentary Secretary for Power Division Rana Iradat Sharif Khan said the government’s negotiations with the IMF were underway that would bear fruits and the bailout deal would be materialised. He was optimistic that all the preconditions set by the IMF were already met by the country.
Senator Bahramand Khan Tungi of the PPPP opined that the coalition government’s negotiations with the IMF were underway. He added that unlike the PTI chairman the PPPP and coalition government believed that it was necessary to reach the IMF for the betterment of the people. “The coalition government after tedious efforts is resolving the economic issues created by the previous PTI regime and repaid billions of dollars loans taken by them.”
Tungi said PPP Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s role in improving the country’s image was very significant.
MNA Sardar Talib Hassan Nakai of the PTI said the government had been unable to handle the economic crisis whereas the debate in the Parliament was also not conforming with the prevailing economic mess. He urged the government to adopt a prudent approach for handle the political crisis that aggravated the economic issues. Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Naz Baloch said the coalition parties were aware of the PTI’s failed policies as it had increased the country’s loans from Rs 24,000 billion to Rs 55,000 billion.
She said it was not possible but difficult to overcome the economic crisis. The Finance Minister had already assured the Parliament of taking public-friendly decisions in the coming days after the materialisation of the IMF bailout deal.
