Tackling economic problems: Anger grows within PML-N over Dar’s performance

ISLAMABAD: There has been growing anger within Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) cadres at what they maintain is Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s poor performance in dealing with the country’s economic problems and the latest significant increase in price of petroleum products.

Senior party cadres are expressing serious concerns over the ‘failed’ economic policies of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in private meetings, background discussions with various PML-N leaders revealed. However, they added that they are not making their views public yet in deference to the fact that Dar is the choice of party Quaid Nawaz Sharif.

“We all know that the current economic mess is due to the ‘disastrous’ economic policies of the then Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. But Dar was brought in tasked with bringing some positive change and put the economy back on track.

Instead of any positive change, the situation has worsened and if the situation does not improve we would not be able to go to our constituents for votes,” a PML-N leader lamented while talking to this correspondent on condition of anonymity.

“People have already begun criticising the coalition government for failure to provide any relief and the disastrous policy of first controlling the rupee that led to a widening gap with the open market causing remittances to come through unofficial channels and now the almost overnight rupee depreciation will further damage the party’s popularity with the people ahead of possible elections in two provinces, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” said another PML-N leader on condition of anonymity.

“To constantly blame the previous government [of PTI] for the economic mess is no longer finding any traction after nine months of the coalition government. Instead we must show progress and provide relief to the inflation hit people,” he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023