Daily Times

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday gave go-ahead to launch an anti-government movement after Eidul Fitr over rising inflation in the country and continuous devaluation of the rupee.

Reports said the PML-N supremo asked the party leaders who met him at Kot Lakhpat jail, where he is serving his seven-year jail term in the Al-Azizia case, to kick off campaign against the government after the holy month of Ramazan and also convene a party meeting to work out a strategy in this regard. Nawaz Sharif will be given a briefing on the nature of the agitation drive by the party leaders during next meeting with him. PML-N stalwart and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has been tasked to convene meetings of the party’s central and provincial leadership.

Talking to the party leaders at the prison on Thursday, Nawaz Sharif reportedly said the PML-N will no longer remain mum over soaring inflation. The government’s attitude towards the people is unacceptable, he was quoted as saying.

Nawaz Sharif felicitated the newly appointed party leaders and directed the party’s central and provincial leaders to become voice of the people reeling under skyrocketing prices of essential items due to rapidly growing inflation. He said the incumbent government has no intention to give any relief to the masses in the next budget. “PML-N government had stabilised the rupee-dollar parity and brought the country on a path of progress. Unfortunately, now dollar is unavailable in the open market,” he was quoted as saying.

Maryam Nawaz, Hamza Shehbaz and other family members were also present at the meeting.

In a series of tweets, Maryam said she strongly feels for the masses and the misery brought upon them by the ‘fake government’ in the last nine months. She said the people have been getting crushed under the weight of rising prices, increase in bills and shrinking incomes in ‘Naya Pakistan’. She said Pakistan has become Asia’s worst performing currency and stock exchange, adding that it is quite a dramatic fall from grace under the tenure for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif when rupee was stable and stock market was among the best performing in the world.

Maryam’s tweets came after the US dollar touched an all-time high of Rs 148 in the interbank market, a day after bouncing back to Rs 144 in the open market.