Bilawal tells govt to tear up IMF deal, renegotiate new one

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto said Wednesday every Pakistani demanded that the PTI should tear its current agreement with the IMF and renegotiate its term with the international money lender.

Speaking to media outside the parliament, Bilawal said: “We are not saying that don’t go back to the IMF, we are emphasising on the fact the government should renegotiate the deal, keeping in mind Pakistan’s economy and how it runs, they should not accept the terms of the IMF completely.”

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and State bank, the government’s own institutions, have said that a record inflation has hit the country, he said.

Read more: Bilawal Bhutto summoned by NAB on Feb 13

“The State Bank has said that even if you add up the loan procured by previous governments, it is less than that of the incumbent government,” Bilawal said.

“The FBR has informed that the tax collection is at a shortfall of Rs400 billion," he said. Bilawal said that when the opposition questioned the government about the shortfall, all they received were personal attacks instead of answers. 

“We can withstand their personal attacks but the people of the country belonging to every class, cannot bear the government's economic policies.”

Read more: Bilawal says since PTI came into power every sector is troubled

“Since this government has taken charge the journalists are not getting paid, it is tough for them to even run their own houses,” Bilawal expressed.

“Hafeez Shaikh was the finance minister in our tenure, but he was not given such freedom in decision-making back then. The PPP-led government always made a deal with the IMF in accordance with the demands of Pakistanis,” he said.

When negotiating with the IMF the government should not have compromised on its economic sovereignty and the people’s rights, Bilawal noted. 

Also read: Are Zardari and Bilawal on one page?

Criticising the finance adviser he said that keeping aside what Bloomberg and IMF are saying, “the government should ask the people of Lahore, Hyderabad, Gunjrawala about their opinion.”