Pakistan’s new government’s 1st priority will be to ‘fix’ economy: Nawaz Sharif

Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said the priority of the upcoming government led by his party will be to “fix” the ailing economy as all the problems plaguing the cash-strapped nation were linked to the economic woes.

“The government will try to fix the economy which would in turn fix everything,” Sharif, the supreme leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) told the media after arriving at the Parliament House for the first time since the February 8 elections.

Sharif, who surprisingly nominated his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif to be the prime minister of a coalition government, also said that he wishes every National Assembly, Senate and Prime Minister to complete their constitutional term.

No prime minister in coup-prone Pakistan has completed his/her five-year term. Sharif became prime minister thrice but was removed on all three occasions in mid-term.

Earlier, he was welcomed by prime minister candidate Shehbaz Sharif and other members of his party upon his arrival at the National Assembly for the PML-N’s parliamentary meeting.

The meeting, chaired by party supremo Nawaz Sharif, will mull over the PML-N’s strategy about matters about the NA’s inaugural session slated for tomorrow, Geo News reported.

Pakistan has avoided potential default with the help of international donors and friendly countries but its economy is still under clouds. It is believed that another IMF program would be needed after the ongoing package.

The country’s economy has been in a free fall mode for the last many years, bringing untold pressure on the poor masses in the form of unchecked inflation, making it almost impossible for a vast number of people to make both ends meet.