It seems Imran being used as shield: Khursheed

ISLAMABAD: Senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party Syed Khursheed Shah Tuesday said it seems that Prime Minister Imran Khan is being used as a shield as the PTI has fulfilled its promise of making people cry but through inflation.He said former finance minister Asad Umar was correct when he said cries of people will be heard in coming days and they are being heard. “It was the only government which presented three budgets within a year that rendered the people penniless,” he said while speaking at “Meet the Press’ of the National Press Club (NPC) here.Shah said the PTI government has pushed the people into the fire of hunger with price hike. “Dr Hafeez Sheikh was a finance minister in the tenure of the PPP and during his tenure loans increased,” he said.He said the PTI government came to power with promises to strengthen economy and not to take any loans but just after taking power it took unprecedented loans.He said growth rate in 2013 was about 5.8 percent but now it stood at 2.4 percent, inflation was 5.3 percent but in the PTI government it crossed 9 percent. “Despite floods in 2009 and 2011, we kept the economy stable,” he said adding that the PPP in its tenure increased salaries of eight million government employees by 125 percent and increased pension by 100 percent.He said the conditions on which the IMF loan was being secured are intolerable as these conditions would only raise inflation in the country. He demanded of the government to take the parliament into confidence on the conditions of the IMF for getting the loans.In a reply to question, Shah said the PPP never supported terrorism and terrorists. “But I do not know how the PPP is being linked with terrorists despite rendering huge sacrifices against terrorism,” he said. He said the people of Pakistan are with the Armed forces of the country and they should avoid the things which make institutions controversial.He avoided the question regarding not taking the opposition into confidence on the issue of Madaris but said that if relevant ministers talk on these issues, it would be better. The PPP leader said those who were against the amnesty schemes are now going towards it.

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