Situationer: Imran Khan — from slamming US to appeasing it

Taking a U-turn on the anti-US narrative, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is striving hard to improve relations with United States. People from PTI are briefing the US on economic matters.

Party leaders had been accusing the US of involvement in the efforts made to dislodge their government. By sowing the seeds of hatred in the minds of Pakistanis against the US and raising the slogan of true independence, they caused big damage to the foreign and economic policies of Pakistan.

The party is now assuring the IMF and other world financial institutions the agreements with them would be honoured. Thousands of dollars are being spent on engaging PR firms for the purpose of improving relations with the US. PTI senior leader Fawad Chaudhry, during last three months, held two meetings with US Ambassador Doland Bloom. Party Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Secretary General Asad Umar also had interactions with foreign diplomats in Islamabad.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan himself met a US delegation at his Zaman Park residence. He is conveying the message to US lawmakers he is not against America. It was Imran Khan who violated the agreement with IMF by slashing the fuel prices before his government was removed.

Journalist Rizwan Shahzad has reported in his story the PTI has assured the US authorities the party, after forming government, would implement all the agreements with the world financial institutions. Two weeks back, PTI leaders shared their economy rival plan with the officials at the US Embassy in Islamabad. In fact, the economic crisis the country is facing started when the PTI was running the government. It struck a deal with the IMF on stringent conditions, and agreed to enhance the prices of fuel and electricity. PTI government Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin himself said they had to increase the prices of fuel under the agreement with IMF.

But, when the PTI government was about to fall it went against the agreement and cut the fuel prices and froze them. The government also announced unfunded subsidy in billions. The PTI government was removed, but the decisions taken by it politicised the economy of the country. The new government found itself in a very difficult situation to revive the agreement with IMF. There were reports Pakistan was going to default.

The PDM government’s delay in taking tough decisions caused more damage to the economy. The IMF country report criticised the PTI government for not meeting the conditions and blamed the subsidy on petroleum products for economic crisis in Pakistan.

According to a report, the PTI government increased expenditure by 24 percent in February 2022. Finishing sales tax and levy on petroleum products and increasing other expenditures jeopardised fiscal deficit target and increase pressure for financing. It is obvious that Imran Khan’s government put country’s economy at stake to save his government. The sitting government also has failed to perform well and the country is witnessing unprecedented inflation. Today the PTI is assuring the US of adhering to the IMF terms but it tried to foil the IMF deal even after the collapse of its government.

The present government had assured the IMF the provinces would give surplus budgets to meet the fiscal as well as primary surplus targets, but the then KP’s finance minister Taimur Jhagrra’s refused to present a surplus budget last year in view of the flood disaster. The reality surfaced in an audio leak involving Jhagrra’s and former PTI finance minister Shaukat Tarin in which the latter can be heard advising Jhagrra to refuse to abide by the IMF agreement in a letter to the federal government and sending the same to the Fund also. Now the same PTI is extending assurances to the US of adhering to the IMF terms. Contrary to Imran Khan’s condemnation of opposition leaders’ meetings with the US as conspiratorial, now PTI’s financial team is striving to seek US approval.