Bilawal Bhutto Zardari asks govt to tear IMF deal

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, on Wednesday demanded of the government to tear the agreement with the IMF and renegotiate it afresh.

“It is a demand of every man living in Pakistan to tear this ‘PTI-IMF’ deal, go back to the IMF and renegotiate so that we can get a deal in the favour of Pakistan,” he said while talking to the newsmen outside the Parliament House on Wednesday. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said, “We do not approve this IMF deal. This is not beneficial for the economy of Pakistan and its citizens, this is a PTI-IMF deal and we do not accept the economic murder of our people,” he said.

He said this government is incapable, cannot do politics and also cannot run the government, it cannot run the economy and cannot even renegotiate. “You gambled on the rights of the people of Pakistan and on the economic independence of the people of Pakistan and brought this PTI-IMF before us. After these 15 months, every Pakistani knows that you compromised on their economic rights,” he said. He said the manner with which this incompetent team has carried out the negotiations is wrong. “We are not saying to go back, we are saying that in your ‘PTI-IMF’ deal you did not put forth the economic reality of Pakistan. You should renegotiate on these grounds and this IMF programme has been implemented, they are squeezing the life out of our economy,” he said. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said this government does not talk on facts, reality and the present time. “This government only knows how to use foul language; it only talks about the past,” he said. The PPP chairman said whenever they raise these questions, they get foul language from the government side in return.

The PPP chairman said the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and State Bank, the government’s own institutions, have said that record inflation has hit the country. He said when they asked that the FBR is saying that tax targets have suffered a shortfall of Rs400 million, we get foul language as a response. We are told that you are Zardari's son,” he said adding that this government not only avoids issues, but it also gets personal, and it cannot tolerate criticism,” he said.

The PPP chairman said their party believes that the economy's entire focus must be on the people of Pakistan, generation of employment opportunities, how they can be fed, and given shelter. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the people of the country belonging to any strata of the society are worried, be it farmers, labourers, employees, small traders, working-class, everyone is worried. ”They are worried because they are being economically killed. The food inflation has increased by 78 per cent in one year, the people are in despair. People will be economically killed, and who will be held accountable for that,” he said.

Bilawal said the people want relief, they want to live, want to improve the future of their kids and to feed them. He said Adviser to PM on Finance Dr Hafeez Sheikh sahib was also a minister in the PPP regime who went to the IMF but they did not listen to the demands of IMF, rather, they agreed on what Pakistan said. Bilawal said he respects the finance minister very much as he always talks with respect but he is not an elected representative. The finance minister says that Bloomberg is praising the performance of the Pakistan stock market and that the IMF was happy with the implementation of its policies. “But he should tell me what the people of Lahore, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, ex-Fata and KP are saying,” he said. He said, “We are the representatives of the people, Hafeez Sheikh can be someone else's representative, that of Modi or of Bloomberg. I want to make Hafeez Sheikh sahib realise that the people of Pakistan are not happy. Ask the people of Karachi, do they think that the stock market is performing at its best,” he questioned.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was asked that the opposition seems divided on the way the IMF deal is being implemented, he rejected the notion saying the opposition is on one page about it. “If we see the manner in which democratic and human rights are being attacked, the opposition is united. The opposition also has a unanimous viewpoint if we ask whether the government should leave,” he said. Asked if JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur-Rehman is a little upset with them, he said he did not think so.” If anyone is upset, I am ready to play my role,” he said. To another question, whether he is anticipating new elections or an in-house change, the PPP chairman said he is a democratic politician. “I think that if the government has to pack and leave, new elections will have to take place,” he said. He said no other system will be acceptable to them, the system that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had wanted for this country they want that to continue. Bilawal said there are efforts to weaken the system that empowers the poor, which gives power to every province. “ We do not accept the way our economic, constitutional and democratic rights are being attacked,” he said.