PTI Under Fire After Picking Up IMF Economist as SBP Governor

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision of appointing International Monetary Funds’ current Senior Resident Representative for the Arab Republic of Egypt, ‘Dr. Reza Baqir’ as new State Bank Governor, has added fuel to fire as the opposition is preparing to raise vice against the appointment of IMF linked officials.

Pakistan Peoples Party has decided to oppose the appointment and the party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the sudden appointments of finance minister, the federal board of revenue chairman and governor State bank is a grave issue which reflects that the government lacks leadership skills. “The incumbent government is agreeing to every IMF demand. We will raise voice against it inside and outside the house,” he said.

Meanwhile, former president Asif Ali Zardari in a brief chat with journalists said that with the recent appointments it appears that the IMF will open its headquarter in Pakistan. “We are compromising our financial independence. Now the IMF will decide the appointment of finance minister, chairman FBR and governor state bank,” he said. Zardari said that with IMF representatives in the state bank how will we run the country.

Earlier Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Saturday (May 5) said that that the country was being governed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan had “handed over the country to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a platter”.