Karachi: Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman and Pakistan Quomi Ittehad (PQI) Vice Chairman Altaf Shakoor said on Firday that the IMF-dictated “mini-budget” would prove to be the last nail in the coffin of Pakistan’s economy.

Is this the promised “change” of the sitting regime, he said while talking to a delegation. the PDP chairman said the Pakistan’s economy was the first victim of the interference of International Monetary Fund (IMF) into Pakistani national affairs. He regretted that the rulers bartered the national sovereignty for the IMF loan, which would be also used to pay heavy interests of previous loans.

He said the wrong policies of the government had pushed Pakistan to a total economic collapse. Quoting noted economist Shabbar Zaidi, he said Pakistan had already committed a technical default, and only official announcement in this regard was being awaited.

He said due to conspiracies of the rulers, LNG could not be imported and the industry was pushed to a preplanned death trap through well-planned gas shortage. He said now the rulers were set to implement another IMF dictation by bringing a Rs360 billion mini-budget that would prove to be the last straw on the back of camel.

Mr Shakoor said that price hike had broken all previous records. He said in the government of sitting rulers, Pakistani rupee devaluation and new internal and external loans had also broke all old records.

He said that the dream of a “change” had tury sour for the Pakistani people and they consider their old Pakistan was a thousand times better than the so-called new one. He asked the rulers to stop total destruction of Pakistan’s socio-economy and step down, paying a way for fresh general election. He said: “This is the only way to salvage our dying economy and saving Pakistani society from a total destruction.”