Govt will never compromise on national interest for IMF loan: PEW

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Sunday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will make Pakistan a respected and developed country and not compromise on national interest.

Masses should reject the propaganda of elements rejected in the recent election and cooperate with the government, it said.

Masses should understand that countries cannot remain dependent on loans and changing the rotten system will take time, said PEW Chairman Brigadier (r) Muhammad Aslam Khan. He added that people should not panic and remember the example of South Korea and other countries which overwhelmed their difficulties with the cooperation of the masses.

Muhammad Aslam Khan said that politicians and bureaucracy have looted Pakistan for decades, therefore, masses were not ready to believe anything.

“Now the situation has changed for good, but the government will have to take difficult decisions that would be painful for people but necessary under international commitments to get out of the current severe economic situation,” he observed.

He lauded the stance of the government of not compromising on national security and the PTI government would not opt for an IMF programme if conditionalities are against the national interests.

Dr Murtaza Mughal said that IMF programme was inevitable in the given circumstances when export competitiveness had been destroyed and debt profile aggravated over the past five years, he noted.

IMF programme would be a helping hand for the government to gradually sail through the tough economic circumstances.