Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) economy experts and former ministers have predicted that the government will not succeed to get relief and instalments from the International Monitory Fund (IMF) anymore. They also predicted that the prices of petrol and diesel will go up to Rs300 per litre in the next month of July.
According to the 24News HD TV channel, the PTI’s former finance minister Shaukat Tareen along with Omar Ayub Khan, and Muzammil Aslam held a press conference in Islamabad on Saturday.
They strongly criticized the budget statement of Finance Minister Miftah Ismail and termed it highly confusing and anti-poor masses of the country.
The PTI leaders claimed that the government will make petrol more expensive which will raise unemployment and unbearable inflation for the lower and middle classes of Pakistan.
PTI economists also predicted that it was feared that the price of electricity would go up to Rs39 per unit and inflation will now rise by more than 35 per cent.
Shaukat Tareen said that Miftah Ismail presented a confusing budget with a big deficit and low GDP growth. He added that it seems that the next IMF will not give them the next instalment.
He said the Nawaz League’s government has also shut down the PTI’s programs for the poor. He expressed a fear that 20 million people are at risk of falling below the poverty line.
Former minister Omar Ayub Khan said that his party’s government had left the price of electricity at Rs16 per unit but it is feared that the electricity will now go up to Rs39 per unit.
Omar Ayub said under the present government, electricity has become more expensive and load shedding has also increased. He said the sui gas bills are going to increase by 400 per cent.
PTI leader Muzammil Aslam said that interest payments would increase by Rs1,000 billion in just one year under the Nawaz League’s government and the deficit will exceed 7,000 billion.