Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Monday came down hard over Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government over skyrocketing inflation in Pakistan.
While addressing an NA session, Shehbaz said that the prime minister had made tall claims about transforming Pakistan into Riyasat-i-Madinah.
“But he [Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who headed the state of Madinah] used to protect the oppressed and orphans,” he said, adding that the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government, on the other hand, has done little for their welfare as inflation in the country has skyrocketed.
Criticising the government over its budget for the current fiscal year, he said on June 17 this year, just days after the budget had been presented, he had warned during an NA session that multiple mini-budgets were in the offing.
“I had said on this very floor that the budget was based on fraud. They (the PTI government) had claimed that the budget was tax free. But, I had said back then that it was a pile of lies,” he added.
“Today, everyone is a witness that this is the worst government in the 74 years [of Pakistan’s existence], [and] that it has made survival difficult for the nation,” he remarked.
“And what will be more cruel than hundreds of thousands of people facing unemployment?” Shehbaz asked rhetorically, adding that basic commodities like flour, sugar and lentils are now out of the reach of an average family surviving on a monthly salary of Rs20,000.
“This government has pushed Pakistan to the brink of destruction.”
“This government has [also] deprived the poor, orphans and widows of free medicines and other medical facilities, pushing them towards death. What will you call this government?” he again questioned.
Responding to Shehbaz, Communications Minister Murad Saeed said, “The opposition leader referred to Risyasat-i-Madinah multiple times in his speech. Today, we should be thankful for having a prime minister who aims to transform this country into Riyasat-i-Madinah.”
He further said that, when the opposition leader’s party was in the government and they would go on tours to the US, they were asked about the difference between them and the PTI.
And their reply would be that they were more liberal, whereas as Imran Khan was more inclined towards religion, Saeed said, adding that here in Pakistan, the former would continue to show that they, too, were inclined towards religion.
“This is their state,” he said, only to be interrupted by opposition lawmakers shouting slogans.
Soon after, most opposition lawmakers walked out of the assembly hall and the NA session had to be adjourned due to a lack of quorum, with Saeed’s speech remaining incomplete.
