ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan and Finance Minister Miftah Ismail on Saturday exchanged barbs on social media blogging site, Twitter, with Khan slamming the ‘incompetent’ Shehbaz government over rupee depreciation and the rise in the inflation rate while finance minister in a thread, compared the PTI-led government’s performance with the incumbent government.
Imran Khan said in a Twitter message that the US dollar stood at Rs178 on March 8, 2022, when the vote of no-confidence was tabled. He said that US dollar has reached Rs250 under the incumbent government.
The former prime minister said that the inflation stood at 16.5% on March 8, 2022 but it has spiralled to 38 percent. Criticising the current rulers, Khan said, “Not only is this imported govt made up of crooks but it is thoroughly incompetent too. Question is who is responsible for this mess?”
In response to Khan’s tweet on rising inflation and depreciation of the local currency during the coalition government’s tenure, the finance minister in a thread, compared the PTI-led government’s performance with the incumbent government.
Miftah said that the Pakistani rupee was at 122 when Khan came to power and left it at 190. He added that Pakistan owed Rs25,000 billion, however, the government owed Rs44,000 billion when he left.
The finance minister further said that the PTI chief left the energy sector in a serious mess “with no provision or contracts for gas or fuel, and circular debts of Rs2,500 billion in power and Rs1,500 billion in gas”.
Miftah added that Khan drove the country towards bankruptcy after breaking the agreement will the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by giving subsidies on fuel.
Holding the PTI chairperson responsible for the mess Pakistan is in, the finance minister said that the coalition government saved the country from defaulting.
“From Toshakhana watches to foreign funding to giving confiscated £190 mil back to demanding jewellery to Farah Khan wielding power and taking bribes, we know who is the real thief,” he concluded.
