PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb has termed the sudden increase of US dollar price by Rs 13 in a day a grand conspiracy against the country. Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club on Tuesday, she said the purpose was to benefit certain investment groups, while inflicting billions in losses to the national reserve. She threatened that it would be better if Finance Minister Asad Umar reveals the contents of the conspiracy on his own, otherwise she would do the honours herself. Thanks to the incompetence of PTI government, billions had been lost in the stock exchange. She said Prime Minister Imran Khan should apologise to the nation for breaking his death vow and approaching International Monetary Fund (IMF). She said that the PTI had ‘promised nirvana but damned the entire nation down the burning hell of inflation’. She questioned that if the government had decided to seek IMF’s help, why did it burden the poor people of Pakistan with extravagant inflation. “The people of Pakistan had been choked by the insane rise in prices over just 50 days of the PTI government because of the utter incompetence and lack of will of the PTI government,” she stated. She said that the prime minister should make negotiations with the IMF public and should stay true to his claims of transparency. She said that the Inspector General Punjab Police had been transferred to get desired results in the upcoming by-elections. She pointed out that the IGP had been transferred over PTI leader Mahmoodur Rasheed’s son’s case, where the government had changed the IG within a few days of his appointment. She said that Rasheed’s son had tortured and abducted police officers, as she also recalled the Pakpattan DPO’s transfer case. She said the chief minister had not learnt any lesson from the episode. Aurangzeb demanded that the government should admit that it had failed to deliver on its promises and that it was incapable of running the affairs of the country. “Apologise to the people of Pakistan for plummeting the national economy,” she suggested. Aurangzeb said that the PTI is threatening the bureaucracy with transfers and postings to far flung areas if they choose to expose its incompetence. There is no difference in the threatening conduct of PTI and its head from the top of the container and that being used while in government, she said. Blinded by its vengeance, the PTI government has become ruthless and is practicing the worst political victimisation in recent history. “The transfer of the IG police is another step in this direction,” she said. She pleaded the Chief Justice and the Election Commission to take action over this transfer. Aurangzeb said that PMLN completely understands the helplessness of Imran Khan regarding Pakpattan case and the real reasons behind the transfer, because the IG Punjab did not take the dictation from the PTI chief. Criticising the conduct of Prime Minister Imran Khan and certain ministers, she said that they should learn to compose themselves and should stop using unparliamentary and indecent language. She said that the PM appears to be fond of cleanliness, but he needs to clean his language and conduct as well as that of his ministers. The former information minister said that the arrest of the PML-N president was meant to threaten him with imprisonment if he did not stop exposing the incompetence of the PTI government. “How would the international community view the legitimacy of a government that is so scared of criticism that it arrests the opposition leader,” she questioned. She questioned what did the government intend to portray by bringing the opposition leader of the country in an armoured vehicle, pushing him around in public view? She mentioned that the contractor in question regarding Shehbaz’s arrest was black-listed, yet the PTI government in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa gave him the contract for Peshawar Metro. Aurangzeb criticised PTI’s choice for Punjab’s chief ministership and said that apparently Imran Khan wanted a CM who couldn’t even comprehend a single file of government affairs, nor could he preside over meetings of his own cabinet. She mentioned that PML-N had increased the Railways revenue from Rs18 billion to Rs50 billion, while providing 3,000 jobs on merit. Aurangzeb challenged the government to start investigating Zulfi BUkhari, Aleem Khan, Chaudhry Sarwar and others PTI members accused of corruption f it was really serious about across the board accountability. Published in Daily Times, October 10th 2018.