ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and opposition leader in the National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif continued building up national consensus among more opposition political parties for formulating a joint strategy against the unbridled inflation in the country and the NAB (Amendment), Ordinance.

According to a statement by PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, the party president contacted Amir Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Sirajul Haq and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai over the telephone, a day after he contacted several leaders of opposition political parties including PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and ANP leaders.

She said that Shehbaz discussed a joint strategy and action plan against the unbearable skyrocketing inflation in the country and the "black law" - the NAB (Amendment) Ordinance - with the JI and PkMAP leaders.

She said that the leaders agreed with Shehbaz to build a joint strategy to counter these challenges.

"The "so-called" "Naya Pakistan" has become the most expensive Pakistan because of the incompetence and corruption of the PTI government. This government had become unbearable for the people of Pakistan and it seemed as if the Imran Khan government was intentionally hurting the masses and taking some sort of revenge from them," Shehbaz was quoted by the spokesperson.

She further stated that the three leaders agreed to challenge the NAB "black law" inside and outside the Parliament, particularly, in the upcoming joint sitting of the Parliament.

On the other hand, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Punjab for Information and Spokesperson Punjab Government Hasaan Khawar said that the opposition parties were misleading the nation by giving fake information about tax increase on petroleum products. He said the government has so far borne a deficit of up to Rs 450 billion to minimise the impact of rising oil prices in the international market.

"The previous governments were charging more tax than the PTI government on the petroleum products," he said, adding: "To avoid sugar crisis, the Punjab government took prompt steps and imported sugar, which was available in the market at controlled rate."

Hasaan Khawar said the Sharif government left behind an economic deficit of US 20 billion dollars in 2018, which was brought down to US one billion dollars after a year of hard work by the PTI government.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021