Daily Times

PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif Tuesday said that the prime minister should worry about the country’s deteriorating economy rather than the Opposition’s meetings.

Talking to journalists in Lahore, the PML-N president said that the country’s economic situation has never been this worse before, a private TV channel reported.

“Throughout the history of this country, inflation has never been as high as it is now,” he said, adding that no other government in the past had accepted such huge amounts of international loans.

Upon being asked by a journalist if the prime minister was worried about PML-N’s political meetings, Shahbaz replied, “The prime minister should focus on the country’s inflation rate, unemployment and the catastrophic situation of the economy.” He also criticised the sugar and wheat scams, saying that “corruption worth billions of rupees is happening under the nose of the government.”

Shahbaz Sharif has recently met PML-Q’s Chaudhry brothers – allies of the PTI-led government – at their residence after 14 years in a bid to mount pressure on the government. The development came after Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari met the Chaudhry brothers – Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi – at their residence, as the Opposition seeks to oust the incumbent government.

PML-N on Twitter said that both sides discussed the current political situation in the country in detail and also shed light on other issues of mutual interest. “Back us in our bid to bring a no-confidence motion against [PM Imran Khan]. The Opposition has a unanimous stance that the government should go home,” sources quoted Shabaz as saying.

In response, according to sources, the Chaudhry brothers told Shahbaz that they would “consult their party leaders on the current political situation” as the coming days “are important”. “We will adopt a strategy after consultations,” the brothers said.