ISLAMABAD, June 13 (Alliance News): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Parliamentary Leader in the Senate, Senator Irfan-ul-Siddiqui, on Friday blamed the former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for derailing Pakistan’s economic progress and weakening national institutions through poor governance and vindictive politics.
Speaking in the Senate, Siddiqui, who also chairs the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the country’s decline began when an elected prime minister was removed for personal and political motives rather than constitutional grounds.
“To plunge a fast-developing country into crisis just to replace one leader with another is not democracy — it’s revenge politics,” he said.
Highlighting the economic turnaround under PML-N from 2013 to 2018, Siddiqui noted that GDP rose from 2% to 6.1%, while per capita income increased by $322. Food inflation was curtailed to 3.8% and the economy was stable when PML-N left office.
However, he added, PTI reversed these gains, causing inflation to rise, the stock market to stagnate, and the debt burden to double.
He also criticized PTI for changing five finance ministers in four years and failing to build an effective economic team. “They mocked Senator Ishaq Dar but couldn’t find a credible replacement even after numerous experiments,” he said.
He added that the reckless fuel price cuts ahead of the no-confidence motion eroded IMF trust and destabilized the financial sector.
Siddiqui condemned PTI’s appeals to overseas Pakistanis not to send remittances and questioned their efforts to stop IMF support. “Who tells the world to let their country default?” he asked.
He also accused PTI of constitutional violations, targeting judges, and disrespecting women’s dignity despite their public rhetoric. “They jailed women and then claimed to uphold women’s rights,” he said.
Praising Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz for his budget speech, Siddiqui emphasized the need for mutual respect and political maturity. He stressed that the PML-N delivered on-ground projects, in contrast to PTI’s failed promises like turning the PM House into a university.
Strongly condemning Israel’s recent airstrikes on Iran, Siddiqui termed them “state terrorism” and a serious violation of international law. “When a state kills senior officials of another sovereign nation, and the world remains silent, it shows the dominance of rogue regimes,” he said.
Quoting poet Qayyum Tajooree, he concluded, “Waqt karta hai parwarish barson, haadsa ek dum nahi hota,” to illustrate how PTI’s misgovernance steadily eroded the country’s foundation.
Senator Siddiqui urged national unity, political dialogue, and institutional reform to rebuild trust, stability, and economic prosperity.
