ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) secretary general Asad Umar on Thursday called upon the government to immediately call elections, saying it is the only way out to save the rapidly deteriorating economy of the country.

Speaking at a presser, he said that days after Imran Khan quit as prime minister, India was back at its demands of “do more”, and now the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is doing the same.

He forewarned that the US dollar would further go up and the rupee would devalue due to political uncertainty in the country and the only solution to the sinking economy is early elections.

To a question, he said that general elections is the best way to steer the country out of the prevailing crisis confronting the country, adding it is not our demand only as the whole country wants elections as soon as possible.

“Let me be loud and clear […] if the government wants to take a smart and politically sound decision, it has no other option but to call elections, the sooner the better,” he maintained.

“The way the economy is weakening, there’s a “do more” pressure on them,” he said, adding, “if the ‘imported’ government failed to understand the critical circumstances, this is for sure it’s [government] for a complete destruction of the country’s economy”.

He also alleged that the government seemed quite unhappy with the pace of work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), adding the CPEC witnessed the most extensive development when the PTI was in power.

“How will CPEC or the economy work under this uncertainty…I know for sure that this government won’t be able to stay longer than a few months,” he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022