Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that widespread flash floods have worsened the economic situation of Pakistan. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions must be met to steer the country out of economic crisis, he stressed.
Speaking at the lawyers’ convention in Islamabad, Shahbaz Sharif said that Pakistan had inked an agreement with the IMF but it was not honoured. The Fund became stricter with the country as a result, he said.
The premier emphasised the need to meet all the terms of the IMF, saying the IMF programme will cease if the country fails to fulfil its conditions.
PM Shehbaz said his government saved the country from economic default by working diligently. “If we visit a friendly country, they say we have come to beg,” he explained.
“When gas was the cheapest in the world, we were asleep,” he said.
Commenting on the state of the flood-hit people, the Prime Minister said that their life has become miserable as they don’t have even a one-time meal.
No one can imagine their plight as the flood has swept away all they had, he said. This is true, he said, adding the upcoming winter will be a new challenge for the 30 million flood victims.