LAHORE, July 17, 2023: Former Punjab chief minister Hamza Shehbaz on Sunday said the incumbent government had taking tough decisions to bring the country out of challenges created by the previous incompetent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
Talking to the media, he said anti-people policies of the PTI forced the people to “commit suicides”.
Hamza Shehbaz said that the PTI dragged the country into an economic quagmire due to its flawed policies, whereas the present government had been working hard for the past 15 months to address issues that have developed as a result of the PTI-led government’s negligence.
He said the country’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has considerably prevented it from default. If the prime minister had not held negotiations with the IMF MD, the country might have defaulted, he continued. He said the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) put its politics at stake by taking tough decisions in larger national interest.
Hamza Shehbaz said that the future of the country was linked with holding general elections held on time in a free, fair and transparent manner.
He stressed upon the need of all political stakeholders to sit together for taking collective efforts to strengthen economy of the country, adding that political point scoring at this time may further worsen economic and overall situation.
He said agriculture was backbone of the country’s economy and there was a need to promote research on various seeds and other technologies to boost production.
To a question, he said the present government would complete its constitutional term that would lead to holding of general elections to be conducted by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
He said the next government to be formed after general elections, have to work for the well-being of the people with dedication.
To another query, he said the sorrowful incidents of May 9 was a black chapter in the country’s history, adding the cases against those involved in May 9 incidents should be taken to logical end to avoid such incidents in the future.