KARACHI
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Karachi General Secretary Arslan Khalid strongly reacted to the current government’s economic policies and record foreign borrowing, stating that the government has not spared a single bank in the world from which it has not taken a loan. He said that the recently surfaced documents have completely exposed the economic incompetence of the incumbent government.
In an important statement, Arslan Khalid referenced economic statistics and noted that burying Pakistan under $16 billion of foreign debt in just a single year is equivalent to pushing the country into a quagmire.
Criticizing the government’s actions, he stated that the backbone of the national economy has been broken by borrowing 4,517 billion rupees, leaving the current rulers roaming the world with a begging bowl.
The PTI Karachi General Secretary revealed that an indiscriminate loan of over $4 billion was taken in June 2026 alone, while the government completely bowed down before the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the IMF.
Terming the acquisition of $1.90 billion in expensive commercial loans from trade banks as a “criminal act,” he said that instead of fixing the economy, the rulers have buried the nation under debt. He added that an additional burden of $3 billion has also been loaded under the Naya Pakistan Certificates.
Arslan Khalid raised questions regarding the whereabouts of $12.72 billion obtained under non-project loans. He stated that such ruthless utilization of debt has never been witnessed in the country’s history, proving that the current regime has no roadmap to manage the national economy. He alleged that the blood of the public is being squeezed in the name of tranches for the $7 billion IMF program, while the rulers rely on foreign debt to fund their luxuries.
Drawing a comparison, he said that the debt traps squeezing Pakistan are far more worrisome than the news of Russia occupying 20 percent of Ukraine. He added that the public is being crushed in the mill of inflation while the government sets records in borrowing, effectively bargaining away Pakistan’s self-respect. Arslan Khalid vowed that those pushing the country toward economic bankruptcy will face strict accountability.
