No talks with PTI with preconditions: Ishaq Dar

• "Entire coalition will decide whether or not to call early polls."
• Minister says Constitution specifies when elections will take place.
• Miftah should be held to account for what has he been doing: Dar

The federal government has upped the ante against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) by refusing to have negotiations with the Imran Khan-led party, seeking early elections ever since their government was overturned in April.

"It is the entire ruling coalition that will decide whether or not to call early general elections. No single individual has the mandate to decide about it," Dar said while speaking to Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath on Friday.

Earlier in the day, the PTI chief gave the incumbent government an ultimatum to either “sit and negotiate and give a date for the snap polls” or “we will dissolve the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies”.

He said that the coalition government can discuss all issues with the opposition but without any precondition of early elections. The financial czar added that he had told the same to President Arif Alvi in categorial terms in the recent meeting.

"The Constitution specifies when elections will take place. However, Imran Khan puts politics first. Imran Khan should wait for elections." He went on to say that the PTI chief prioritises politics over the state.

"Before the vote of no confidence against the PTI government early this year, we had PTI MNAs queued up in London for PML-N tickets."

The coalition government of the PML-N had to bear the burden of Imran Khan, he said, adding that he believed that Imran Khan should have been allowed to fall. Imran Khan played a mean trick by not fulfilling the pledges given to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he said. "This trick cost the nation dearly."

Meanwhile, the federal minister also slammed his predecessor Miftah Ismail, saying: "Miftah Ismail should be held to account for what has he been doing. Was he not supposed to arrange $32 million before leaving?"

Dar said he doesn't want to respond to Miftah as it is easier said than done.

The government, the federal minister said, had so far made all payments on time and would do so in the future as well.

Pakistan will never default, asserted the federal minister, saying that the PTI had left around $9 billion in the national exchequer, of which, $3 billion belonged to a country and the remaining amount to other countries.

"The government cannot overburden its citizens. I have already told the IMF that your behaviour is not right. I have to cater to the interests of Pakistan and its people," he explained.

He underscored that he was fixing the devastation caused during the last four years but it can't be fixed during the eight months. According to him, "I am fulfilling [the commitments] made during the PTI era as well as the six months of the current administration."

The minister censured the PTI government, saying the growth rate is 2%, not negative. The PTI government was incompetent as they used Covid-19 as an excuse, he added.

All the preconditions of the IMF have been fulfilled, he said, adding that the government had talks with the relevant people with a view to stopping smuggling of dollars from the country.

"It is very essential to stem the smuggling of dollars out of the country," he said. The PML-N invested its political capital in the country as the party preferred the state to politics, he added.