Miftah sees shrinking space, Dastagir says PTI has no agenda

ISLAMABAD: Awaam Pakistan leader Miftah Ismail on Wednesday said space for the opposition had shrunk, but it wasn’t using even the available room and criticised the government over the current sugar crisis.

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However, Khurram Dastagir, his former associate from the PML-N, was of the view that the PTI — the main opposition party — had no agenda.

“Does the [PTI’s] Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government have any agenda to root out terrorism,” he questioned — an obvious reference to Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s criticism of the federal government.

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“We haven’t ever torched any Radio Pakistan,” Dastgir remarked, as he mentioned the violent May 9 protests where the PTI supporters the national broadcaster’s historic building in Peshawar.

On this issue, Miftah said terrorism was the reason why customers avoided the country. Pakistan would have to tackle the terrorism issue to improve the economy, he stressed.

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SUGAR CRISIS

Miftah, who previously served a finance minister before his removal and later forming the Awaam Pakistan party along with former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, said sugar was first exported and then imported. The entire episode was designed to hike sugar prices, he noted.

The sugar crisis isn’t a NAB case, it is a public issue, he remarked.

He went on to say that there used to be a “sugar advisory” which had been turned into “export monetary advisory”.

Admitting the seriousness of the sugar crisis, Dastgir said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif should take notice of the matter and highlighted the steps taken in the past to ensure sugar supply in the country.

TRUMP TARIFFS

Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump slapped 25 per cent tariffs on India besides a financial penalty for importing Russian goods.

Talking about the issue, the former finance minister said Trump repeated what the Pakistan Air Force had done to India, while also predicting the US would impose 10 per cent tariff on Pakistan.

NO CHECK AND BALANCE

In his comments, Barrister Umair Niazi of PTI said there was check and balance mechanism. Miftah faced character assassination when he raised his voice over the prevailing state of affairs, he noted.