PTI says it will ‘resist’ government of technocrats
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) will oppose any attempt to impose a technocrat government in the country, announced its senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry, as journalists considered close to the establishment float wordy proposals for an administration made up exclusively of non-aligned experts.
His statement came as some sections of the media, widely understood to be sympathetic to the military, demanded to suspend democracy and replace the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government with a cabinet of experts, tasked with stabilising the collapsing economy before new elections could be held.
Chaudhry observed that attempts were being made to form an interim government with a limited programme and a fixed lifespan from six months to two-and-a-half years instead of holding general elections.
In a tweet, he said the idea of a technocrat government was “foolish thinking”, and added that political instability was more severe than economic turmoil. He said that such schemes were being designed at the cost of the nation’s interests, and just to prevent former prime minister Imran from coming to power.
“We will oppose this kind of technocrat government,” he vowed.
PTI has been demanding snap elections since the ouster of Khan through a contentious no-confidence vote in April. To force the government to do so, the party has announced its intention to dissolve the legislatures in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistan’s economy is facing a balance of payment crisis. The central bank reserves have fallen to $6.1 billion — barely enough for a month of imports.
The fiscal deficit has already touched 1 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of the current financial year against 0.7 percent of the GDP agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
With the lender’s ninth review pending since September, Pakistan has desperately been scrambling to secure financing to meet external payment obligations for the current financial year.
Ahead of the review, Pakistan has been trying to approach allies to seek financial support.
