Loss caused by corruption, load shedding and not by sit-ins :Noor Ullah Siddique

Lahore: It is not because of the sit-in but rather due to the corruption of the government, floods and failure to control the load shedding and an incompetent cabinet that today every Pakistani is in debt of Rs one Lakh. This was stated in fact finding report in response to the statement of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar made public by Noor Ullah Siddique, the Central Information Secretary of Pakistan Awami Tehreek here on Wednesday.

The report said that the ‘accountant’ Ishaq Dar has presented false and factious facts and figures in the National Assembly to blame the Pakistan Awami Tehreek responsible for the loss to the national exchequer. It said that it is the same Ishaq Dar who ruined the national economy in 1999 and bought the country on the brink of bankruptcy.

The report said that Rs 500 billion circular debt, 40 billion theft in the oil and gas sector, 100 billion fraud of two metro bus projects and creating a false shortage of petrol are part of the mega scandals of the present government. The report said that such false statements are only to make a fool of the people of the country and misguide the masses. He said it is because of the failed policies of Ishaq Dar that the country is now being financially controlled by the International Monetary Fund and other world economic bodies. The report said that this government has broken all previous records of borrowing from world financial institutions and in two years over $6 billion have been taken from international institutions and over Rs 2000 billion from domestic banks.

The report said that in its annual report the State Bank of Pakistan has revealed that the amount of profit money drifting out of the country has increased and a sharp decrease has been accounted in the incoming investments and the country is now entangled in the web of loans. The SBP report has unveiled the faces of the government officials and there corruption who are responsible for this catastrophe.

The PAT report further revealed that the World Bank in its 2015 report has cautioned the Government of Pakistan that corruption continues to weaken the economy of Pakistan and the financial policies are flawed and international investment is not coming towards Pakistan. The PAT report said that the amount spent on security during the sit-ins, as being quoted by the finance minister, are only 50 per cent of the amount being spent on the security of the PM House and Jatti Umra residences of the Sharifs’. The report said that how can Ishaq Dar blame the financial slide on the PAT and the sit-in of Islamabad. The report said that over Rs 450 million are spent to feed the security official deputed on the security of the Sharif Brothers’.

The PAT report further said that the economic policies are complete failure and the proof of that is that the traders all over the country are protesting and announcing shutters down strikes. The report said that the former National Accountability Bureau has said that over Rs 4000 billion are swallowed by corruption in the country every year. Why does the finance minister not respond to these facts only because the government wants to hide its short comings behind the allegation of the loss caused by the sit-ins.