Loans to rise by Rs10 trillion if PM Khan's govt completes next 2 years: Shahid Khaqan

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said Thursday Pakistan's loans would rise by at least Rs10 trillion if the incumbent government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) completes the next two years.

Addressing a press conference here in the federal capital, Abbasi said there would be no new development project in the upcoming couple of years and that those started by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government may be brought to fruition.

Business in the country would become sluggish and unemployment would shoot up, the former premier said, adding that new taxes would translate to some 20,000-30,000 people becoming jobless.

The growth, on the other hand, would become less than half of the current rate, he noted.

"We have presented to public what [former PM] Nawaz Sharif's Rs10 trillion translated into. What [incumbent PM] Imran Khan's Rs10 trillion would do is in front of the people too," Abbasi said.

Some "Rs5 trillion was paid in interest and another Rs3.8 trillion in defence", he explained.

Abbasi then took another jibe at the PTI chief, saying had Imran Khan read the files and asked for guidance, he would not have had to come on national television at 12PM at night.

'If they have the guts, they should do it'

"The prime minister to carry out accountability and not let anyone go; he repeatedly waved his hands round and round and stressed over and over again to say he had no links with the NAB [National Accountability Bureau]," the ex-premier said.

He mentioned that he had released 20-year tax returns on the website but challenged Khan and his ministers to do the same.

Abbasi demanded: "If Imran Khan has the guts and is not a coward, then he should publish his tax returns on the website and everything would become transparent.

"Imran Khan leads the government but doesn't seem to be aware of that fact," he remarked.

The PML-N leader commented on how 10 months have passed since the 2018 elections but neither Khan nor his ministers sent any proof of corruption to the NAB or the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

"Ministries, agencies, departments … Imran Khan has them all now but in the past five years, did he send proof of even a rupee's worth of corruption to any department?

"I challenge any minister [of the incumbent government] to come forward and say Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was the petroleum minister and he did some sort of corruption; if they have the guts, they should do it!"

Abbasi further said: "Whatever corruption happened in Nawaz [Sharif's] government should be brought forward. They want to make a commission? Go ahead!"

The former PM stressed that the current government was taking these steps to pull the attention away from the Federal Budget 2019-20. "Those who serve the country and the politicians are being maligned," he claimed.

"Only one thing is being done through NAB: whoever speaks out and whoever is part of the Opposition is suppressed.

"Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz is on remand. Was he not cooperating in the investigation? The biggest thing is that no one knows what the allegations against Hamza Shehbaz are," he added.

Abbasi said that if the Opposition was being silenced under the guise of accountability, the country could not progress, and that "democracy doesn't work in a place where there's no justice".

"The NAB law requires remand but it should not be used excessively. We know who called who to leak the allegations," he said. "The government's allies played out 'films'; we, too, received such 'films' but we decided that we do not indulge ourselves in such gimmicks."

He said: "NAB chair says if he were to nab government officials, there would be no government left."

PM's midnight address shows 'government's mental state'

The PML-N leader then turned his attention to the late-night address by Khan late Tuesday. "Has any president or prime minister, in the 72-year history, ever addressed the nation at 12PM?

"The prime minister addressing the nation at 12PM shows the government's mental state," he said.

He asked: "Does Imran Khan have the answers to any question? If he does, he should come to the National Assembly and respond."

Abbasi also highlighted that in the 10 months since the general election, "not even 10 minutes have been spent talking about the people of Pakistan in the National Assembly sessions.

"At present, democracy faces many dangers and so does the economy," he warned.