ISLAMABAD: Former finance minister and PTI leader Shaukat Tarin has hatched a conspiracy by asking Punjab Finance Minister Mohsin Leghari to withdraw from the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) deal. This shocking development surfaces a few days after the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government backtracked from the IMF deal.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces are under PTI’s control. There have been some instances where the federation and provinces have had differences, which started in April when Imran Khan was ousted through a no-confidence move in the Parliament.
The leaked audio surfaced on the day that the international lender’s executive board is scheduled to meet for considering Pakistan’s request of releasing the $1.2 billion tranche under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), Geo TV reported on Monday.
In the leaked audio, Tarin can be heard asking Leghari to tell the IMF that the Punjab government’s commitment was made before floods and now the provincial government was not in a position to honour that commitment.
“You have signed a Rs750 billion [surplus] commitment with the IMF. You now need to tell them (IMF) that the commitment you made was before the floods, and now [Punjab] has to spend a lot of funds for the floods rehabilitation.”
“You need to say now that ‘we will not be able to honour our commitment’,” Tarin said, telling Leghari that this is all he wants – for pressure to increase on the incumbent government.
The PTI leader told the finance minister to draft a letter and send it to him for vetting so it could be sent to the federal government and later on to the IMF representative in Pakistan.
At Tarin’s request, Leghari asked whether Pakistan would suffer if Punjab — the largest province of Pakistan — withdraws from the deal.
All the TV channels have broadcast the video clip showing conspiracy of Shaukat Tarin on Monday, the day the executive board of the IMF is holding a crucial meeting to give approval for the disbursement of loan to Pakistan.
