On a sticky wicket, Imran Khan pitches comeback

Islamabad: Imran Khan, who was removed from the post of Pakistan’s prime minister following a no-confidence vote last year, has now exuded confidence of returning to power with a majority when elections are held this year. The cricketer-turned-politician also said that he fears a “Sri Lanka-type situation” and assured that he would make “policies like never before” after coming to power. Imran also said he would back a continued role for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revive Pakistan’s economy and avert a growing risk of a debt default. ‘Win a majority’ In an interview to Bloomberg, the ousted Pakistan PM said that he expects to win a majority when elections are held this year sometime in the month of August. After losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership and ousted from power, Imran has taken to streets, protesting against his successor Shehbaz Sharif’s government to call an early election in the country. Recently, he pushed for snap polls after which his allies dissolved two of the country’s four provincial assemblies that has triggered polling in those provinces. As per the practice, election in these provinces are held in parallel with a nationwide vote. Imran Khan’s ‘radical’ plan to shore up Pakistan’s economy In the interview, Imran also said that he has been preparing a “radical” plan to boost Pakistan’s economy that he foresees to get worse by the time the elections take place. “If we get into power, we won’t have much time,” the former Pakistan prime minister said. When asked if his “radical” plan include sticking with the IMF, Imran said: “We have no choice now.” Reportedly, IMF has refused to visit the cash-strapped South Asian nation and instead placed new conditions to extend further help. The international body has asked Pakistan to levy new taxes and pass a mini budget for 200 million. These steps could possibly raise country’s inflation rate and put more burden on its people. For the unversed, inflation in Pakistan is currently at 25 percentage points. IMF has said it will visit Pakistan for the ninth review after the conditions are met. With IMF loan payments held up, Pakistan, in the recent months, has slipped dangerously close to a debt default. Since October, the country’s foreign-exchange reserves have decreased by half making it difficult for the country to pay for month’s imports. Imran Khan fears of ‘Sri Lanka-type situation’ Expressing concerns over the economic situation in Pakistan, Imran said: “We fear a Sri Lanka-type situation." The former Pakistan PM further said that after being voted to power, he would make policies like never before in the country. ‘Afraid of powerful enemies’ Imran claimed that his life is in danger and blamed incumbent Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and an intelligence officer for an attack on him the November last year where he sustained a leg injury after he was shot at a protest. Both Sharif and intelligence officer have denied the claim. “Right now I am afraid, I have powerful enemies,” said Imran, adding that the “entire political status quo is against me”. Pakistan politics has been mainly dominated by dynasties and the powerful army, however, Imran was voted to power in 2018 as an outsider in the country. Imran further said that he believes national elections may be rigged to keep him out of power. The 70-year-old Pakistani politician referred to his removal from office as “regime-change”. He further alleged that the ruling coalition led by Shehbaz and some members of the country’s establishment are “scared” because “they were part of the regime-change. We know exactly who was responsible for it.” Why IMF programme was stalled in Pakistan? Imran took a slew of decisions for his country and government. One of his last major decision included lowering fuel prices that lead to a dispute resulting in stalling the IMF programme. The former PM said that his decision was based on getting discounted fuel from Russia. Imran during the interview also said that he will pursue an independent foreign policy that doesn’t lean on any single country such as the US or China. Last year, cash-strapped Pakistan revived a stalled USD 6 billion IMF programme which was initially agreed upon in 2019 but is finding it hard to meet the tough conditions of the Washington-based global lender. The IMF board in August approved the seventh and eighth reviews of Pakistan’s bailout programme, allowing for a release of over USD 1.1 billion. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.