PTI rejects govt claims over economic turnaround

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Omar Ayub Khan Monday dismissed the government’s assertions of economic improvement and inflation reduction.

He challenged the authorities to visit markets alongside opposition representatives to verify the truth of these claims.

Addressing a news conference along with PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan and Leader of Opposition in Senate and senior PTI leader other party here, Omar challenged that whoever in the government claimed that inflation had decreased, should visit the markets alongside them. He claimed that due to the lack of supremacy of the constitution and law, there was zero investment in the country, and wondered who was the government fooling, and what kind of economy was running? He said that investment was not coming to Pakistan; and businesses and agriculture in the country had been closed. “The engine of your car is stopped and you are saying that the economy is running. The government says that inflation has come down, let’s go to the market jointly and verify these claims.” The purchasing power of people had reduced and essentials had gone out of the hands of people, he added.

Omar Ayub said the hearing in the Toshakhana-II case was adjourned in a strange way; access to the PTI founder chairman [Imran Khan] had been blocked. He alleged that the party founder was being kept in a solitary confinement, adding that the facilities provided to him according to the jail rules had also been withdrawn. “We condemn these hardships; we expect the judges of the anti-terrorism court to raise their voice on this injustice,” he added.

Omar Ayub said the party founder, his wife Bushra Bibi, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other party leaders had been imprisoned in different jails and they had the right to facilities mentioned in the jail rules. However, he regretted, they were not getting facilities according to the jail manual.

“All our leaders are political prisoners. There is no supremacy of the constitution and law in Pakistan; the judiciary should stand on its own feet; the judiciary should say that enough is enough,” he demanded.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali alleged that the government had been formed with a fake mandate which passed the 26th Amendment. He said his party’s principled stance was that the 26th Amendment case should be heard at the earliest and that all judges should sit and decide on the amendment.

He made it clear that protecting his party’s mandate was the constitutional responsibility of the Election Commission, adding, “our stance is the same today. We have the right to take back the mandate, as the mandate and vote of people are the basis for democracy”.

Gohar said that the founder of PTI formed a committee for negotiations, as they wanted to move forward while the government chose to avoid negotiations. “There is still time to make wise decisions, decisions that benefit everyone,” he maintained.

He continued that the party founder wrote letters to the Army Chief as a former prime minister and that his letters reflect the feelings of people. He pointed out that the founder said that there should be no gap between the army and the people. “Imran Khan’s letter is being passed on, no significant action has been taken on the founder of PTI’s letter,” he lamented.

Shibli Faraz said that the neighbouring country held transparent elections and there was political stability there. “However, our rulers did not come to power with the mandate of people, but were installed; instability arose in the country after February 8, there is a situation of fear and uncertainty everywhere.

He said that on February 8, the mandate of the people was looted, people who had lost badly were installed, the constitution is being violated in the country at the moment. Until there are transparent elections in the country, political stability cannot be achieved, the people know what the situation is in the economy, he added.