Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif recently addressed a party meeting in Lahore via video link from London, where he expressed his concern about Pakistan’s economic crisis. He questioned why Pakistan is seeking financial assistance from the world when India has achieved important achievements like reaching the Moon and hosting the G20 summit.
Nawaz Sharif started by talking about the dire economic situation of Pakistan, where the current Prime Minister was traveling to different countries to ask for financial assistance.
Comparing this with India’s achievements, he emphasized that India has not only reached the Moon but has also hosted international summits like G20. He argued that this raised questions over Pakistan’s failure to achieve the same feat.
Comparison with India’s economic reforms
Sharif pointed out that during his tenure as prime minister in the 1990s, Pakistan had initiated economic reforms similar to those later adopted by India.
He cited the significant increase in foreign exchange reserves during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure, from just $1 billion to $600 billion, as proof of India’s economic success.
In July, Pakistan received $1.2 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of a $3 billion bailout package aimed at stabilizing the country’s struggling economy.
Nawaz Sharif, who was in self-exile in Britain for more than four years, announced his return to Pakistan on 21 October. He is planning to lead the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party’s campaign for the upcoming general elections. , His party has also expressed its intention to obtain protective bail for him.
Sharif did not shy away from blaming Pakistan’s former generals and judges for the country’s plight.
He mentioned that four judges had played a role in sending him home despite his efforts to eliminate power cuts in the country. He particularly targeted former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and Asif Saeed Khosa, alleging that they were influenced by the former Army chief and spy chief. He argued that his actions were a greater crime than murder and insisted that he did not deserve a pardon, highlighting that this would be an injustice to the nation.