LONDON: Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, stated on Wednesday that Pakistan is on track to conclude its current International Monetary Fund (IMF) program and will not require a new agreement after June next year.
Addressing a ceremony in the British capital, Khan asserted that the country had been set back “many years” due to conditions attached to an IMF program in 2018. He claimed the prime minister who had “imposed inflation and poverty” was later removed through legal means, in an apparent reference to former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
His speech took a sharp political turn as he alleged a “conspiracy against Pakistan through Imran Khan.” He contrasted this with the legal troubles of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, stating that despite over 250 court appearances, all cases against him had been “proven false.” He questioned why the PTI chairman was “afraid of facing the courts” if the cases were indeed false, specifically mentioning the “Ghari case” as “open and shut.”
Khan also revisited historical foreign policy, stating that during the era of Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the country had strong international alliances, with “many countries with us in the war.” His remarks combined economic optimism with pointed political accusations, reflecting the ongoing intense partisan discourse surrounding Pakistan’s economy and judiciary.
