ISLAMABAD: Pakistani opposition leaders on Tuesday criticised the central government for what they described as its failure to govern and rescue the nation from economic crisis during its two years in power, as top ministers held a press conference to present their achievements.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan was sworn in as prime minister on August 18, 2018, with his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party sweeping to power in a landmark election on a populist platform, vowing to root out corruption among a venal elite, create 10 million jobs, build an Islamic welfare state and restore Pakistan’s tattered image abroad.
“2 years of PTI government have been an unmitigated disaster,” opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif wrote on Twitter. “From foreign policy to economy to governance, IK’s mismanagement of national affairs has increased the woes of the masses manifold. People continue to pay heavy price for this failed experiment in political engineering.”
Chairman of opposition Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said:
"2 years in power & @ImranKhanPTI has given us the worst economy in our country’s history, foreign policy failures from Kashmir to Saudi, democracy & human rights suffering , unemployment at an all time high, transparency international has said corru (corrupt) PTI on is higher than before.”
But key cabinet ministers, including Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Adviser on Finance Hafeez Sheikh and Information Minister Shibli Faraz, held a press conference and hailed the government’s two years as a ‘success.’
Sheikh said that neutral international observers had acknowledged economic progress made by Pakistan despite the coronavirus crisis.
Due to the government's policies, organisations like Moody's, Fitch and Bloomberg had improved Pakistan's rating, the PM’s advisor on finance said, adding that the current account deficit had reduced from $20 billion to three billion dollars.
Qureshi said Pakistan had played a key role in peace talks in Afghanistan to end an 18 year old civil war and stressed on “economic diplomacy.”
"A dramatic shift can be seen from diplomatic isolation to effective representation," he said, saying that PM Khan had "internationalised" the Kashmir dispute with India and highlighted rights abuses for India security forces.
Pakistani government celebrates 'successful' two years as opposition calls out failures
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Pakistani government celebrates 'successful' two years as opposition calls out failures
- Imran Khan was sworn in as prime minister on August 18, 2018, with his PTI party sweeping to power on a populist platform
- Top ministers hold a press conference to present the government’s key achievements on the economic and diplomatic fronts
Pakistan PM expresses solidarity with Morrocco as building collapse kills 22
- Two adjacent four-story buildings, housing eight families, collapsed in Morocco’s Fez city on Wednesday
- Such building collapses are not uncommon in Moroccan cities that are undergoing rapid population growth
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed solidarity with Morocco and prayed for rescue efforts on Thursday as 22 people were reported dead after two buildings collapsed in the country’s Fez city.
Morocco’s state news agency, MAP, reported on Wednesday that two adjacent four-story buildings, which housed eight families, collapsed overnight in Fez. Sixteen people were injured and taken to the hospital as authorities said the neighborhood had been evacuated, and search and rescue efforts were ongoing.
Moroccan authorities said they had opened an investigation into the incident, while MAP reported that the structures were built in 2006 during an initiative called “City Without Slums.”
“My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayers for the swift recovery of the wounded,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X. “We stand in solidarity with the Government and people of Morocco in this hour of grief, and pray for the success of the ongoing rescue efforts.”
https://x.com/CMShehbaz/status/1998940192879911417
Such building collapses are not uncommon in Moroccan cities undergoing rapid population growth. A collapse in May in Fez killed 10 people and injured seven in a building that had been slated for evacuation, according to Moroccan outlet Le360.
Building codes are often not enforced in Morocco, especially in ancient cities where aging, multifamily homes of cinderblock are common.
Infrastructure inequality was a focus of protests that swept the country earlier this year, with demonstrators criticizing the government for investing in new stadiums instead of addressing inequality in health care, education and other public services.
With additional input from AP
