Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, has called Imran Khan the world’s worst liar and claimed that the PTI leader had ruined the country’s economy.
Shehbaz Sharif spoke about the “damage” the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman had caused to Pakistan’s domestic and foreign affairs in an interview with the UK publication The Guardian, which was cited by Dawn.
The Prime Minister claimed that Imran Khan’s reported latest cypher audio leaks were “an irrefutable endorsement that he (Imran) is the biggest liar on the face of the earth.”
An alleged secret diplomatic cable known as the “cypher” fuelled rumours that the US government wanted to topple Imran Khan’s government and bring about a change of leadership in Pakistan.
The cypher is based on a meeting between Asad Majeed, the then-envoy, and Donald Lu, a representative of the US State Department who has been at the centre of PTI’s allegations that the US plotted to remove Imran from power in April.
“I’m not saying this with a sense of glee but a sense of embarrassment and concern. My country’s image has been damaged hugely by these lies told out of mean personal interest,” In the interview with the British publication, Sharif said, according to Dawn.
Since being ousted by a successful vote of no confidence in April, he charged Imran Khan with “injecting poison into society to dangerously polarise the people.”
Shehbaz Sharif called the PTI leader a “liar and a cheat” and said that his policies have left the economy in “ruins” in his first interview with the publication since he was appointed prime minister.
According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Pakistan’s economy is expected to contract to 3.5% in the fiscal year 2022–2023 as a result of disastrous floods and tighter government regulations.
The development in agriculture, services, and industry—particularly large-scale manufacturing—as well as higher private spending were the main drivers of Pakistan’s GDP growth in the fiscal year 2021–2022, according to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2022 Update.
However, the ADB’s lower growth prediction for the fiscal year 2022–2023 also takes into account double-digit inflation in addition to climate headwinds and Pakistan’s important policy initiatives.
Pavan Manzoor is an experienced content writer , editor and social media handler along with a track record of youth-oriented activities in Pakistan and abroad. She was selected as a fully-funded delegate as a leadership fellow in Turkey. She also led a team of 5 volunteers at the week-long Young Professionals Fellowship in Maldives. She is also a member of the Youth Standing Committee on Higher Education.
