- Govt can’t displease masters to buy cheap oil from Russia: Tarin
- Hammad belies Miftah’s claim of sanctions against Russia
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Lashing out at the incumbent government for its flawed economic policy, the former Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government refused to accept the harsh conditions of International Monitory Fund (IMF) to impose tax amounting to Rs 700 billion for the sake of the masses.
While addressing a joint press conference on Islamabad along with the PTI focal person for economic affairs Hammad Azhar, Tarin said that the PTI government allocated Rs 466 billion for subsidy to provide relief to the masses.
Shaukat Tarin said that the imported government was scared of the United States due to which it would not buy cheap oil from Russia.
The former finance minister said that the PTI government was all-set to sign a deal to purchase oil on less than 30% from Russia but the government was overthrown through foreign conspiracy.
Shaukat Tarin said that if the PTI government had increased the price of petrol by Rs 4 to 5 per liter, there would have been a storm in the Country but now the atomic bomb of fuel price was dropped on the people but there was no hue and cry.
The PTI leader said that they had set aside Rs 267 billion for petroleum products and Rs 106 billion for electricity subsidy to protect the masses from the impact of the rising inflation.
In February, he said that Imran Khan, as the prime minister, decided to freeze the prices of petroleum products under a well-conceived plan to provide maximum relief to the masses.
Shaukat Tarin revealed that there was a plan to provide subsidy by reducing Rs 100 billion from the PSDP as Rs 50 billion was promised by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) which was to be derived from increase in revenue.
Tarin further said that if the PTI government was not removed, they would have completed the seventh review of IMF in April.
The former finance minister said that a letter was also written to Russia for cheap fuel at and it was the responsibility of this government to pursue the matter after the ousting PTI government.
Shaukat Tareen said that everything was going in the right direction during the previous government, as even it was accepted by the Finance Minister Muftah Ismail during his visit to the FBR.
The PTI senator said that the only solution to all the problems of Pakistan was immediate elections.
Speaking on the occasion, Hammad Azhar said that Pakistan’s economy was currently going through the worst phase of time in its history due to the incompetent government.
Hammad Azhar said that the government raised the POL products by Rs 60 within a week but no voice was raised against this cruel and anti-public step.
Hammad Azhar made it clear that there are no sanctions against Russia and Muftah Ismail lied to the nation, as India bought oil from Russia to give relief to its people.
The former minister said that Sri Lanka also decided to buy cheap oil in view of the worst economic situation, adding that providing relief to the people was not among the priority list of this government but was more interest to appease their masters.
Hammad Azhar said that the rupee has weakened alarmingly in 45 days while the stock market was falling 3,300 points but the incompetent rulers were just busy to enjoy the official visits.
Hammad said that the imported government added to the power crisis, as the shortfall has reached 7500 MW and supplied to steel mills were suspended, while power plants of CPEC were running at 25%.
Hammad Azhar said that the unannounced prolonged load shedding would severely affect economic activities in the Country, adding that the imported government all-set to jack up the price of electricity by 47%.
Explaining the performance of the PTI government, Hamad Azhar said that the economic rating agencies showed the Pakistani economy as positive, the incumbent rulers sold Pakistan’s sovereignty for the sake of their power.
Hammad Azhar said that those who demanded the resignation of Imran Khan for raising the POL prices by only Rs 4 should now apologize to the nation.
The PTI leader said that the people were fed up of the imported government and they would soon send the government packing soon.
