PML-N leader Miftah Ismail said on Thursday that Pakistan suffered \u201ca big loss\u201d due to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar\u2019s approach of \u201cgiving a cold shoulder\u201d to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of our experts knew this approach was bound to fail and we have seen its result,\u201d the former finance czar said in an interview with Geo News.<\/p>\n
This is not the first time that Ismail, who says he was removed at Dar\u2019s behest, went public with his displeasure at the sitting finance minister\u2019s ascension to the coveted position and his criticism of the policies of his predecessor.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, the ex-minister had blamed Dar for orchestrating a campaign to undermine him. \u201cDar used to appear on TV and say he will bring the dollar down,\u201d Ismail had said, adding, \u201che used to make anchors do programmes against me.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the interview today, Ismail said he had the right to defend himself. \u201cI felt it was necessary to respond to comments made against my competence and my policies. And my party has not taken any action against me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commenting on the prevailing economic crisis, Ismail said Dar underestimated the IMF\u2019s role which hurt Pakistan\u2019s cause.<\/p>\n
\u201cDar sahib, after taking up the reins, thought he would fix the economy without the IMF or by scaring the lender to accept Pakistan\u2019s demands, as he had been openly opposing the IMF conditions. He made an attempt and as a result, Pakistan suffered a big loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ismail said it was, however, encouraging to note that the government had consented to IMF\u2019s terms, which, according to him, could pave the way for the betterment of the economy.<\/p>\n
In response to a question, the PML-N leader said he was unaware of the circumstances that led Dar to replace him as the finance minister. \u201cBut, I knew for a long time that Dar wanted to return as he had been appearing in TV shows and targeting me in internal party groups.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the same time, he also stated that the prime minister who had appointed him had the prerogative to remove him as well. \u201cHence I do not see anything unusual in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ismail recalled that Pakistan\u2019s default risk rose \u201cunacceptably high\u201d when former premier Imran Khan allegedly violated the IMF agreement, adding that the PML-N government \u2014 during his tenure as the finance minister \u2014 took measures that minimised the risk of bankruptcy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PML-N leader Miftah Ismail said on Thursday that Pakistan suffered \u201ca big loss\u201d due to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar\u2019s approach of \u201cgiving a cold shoulder\u201d to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). \u201cAll of our experts knew this approach was bound to fail and we have seen its result,\u201d the former finance czar said in an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":259116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-309816","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n