No choice other than IMF-dictated budget, NA told.

ISLAMABAD -- Accusing the previous Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) regime of bringing the country on the verge of bankruptcy, Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Wednesday said the present coalition government had no choice but to present the budget on the dictation and terms of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

'This is absolutely an IMF budget. There is no doubt about it,' declared Ms Rehman while taking part in the general debate on the federal budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 in the National Assembly which remained in session for nearly three hours without quorum.

Besides Ms Rehman, almost all lawmakers criticised the PTI government and its leader Imran Khan for allegedly ruining the country's economy.

'If this is an IMF budget, then who has tied us with the IMF?' she asked while alleging that the PTI government during its four-year rule had taken the country towards a default. The PTI, she said, was still willing to create anarchy in the country after leaving its economy on ventilator.

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Ms Rehman justified the decision of the coalition parties to form the government after ousting the then prime minister Imran Khan through a vote of no confidence despite knowing that they might have to pay a heavy political price for it in the upcoming general elections and said otherwise the country was heading towards a default like Sri Lanka.

'Pakistan was heading downwards with a great speed like a train on a slippery slope...The new unity government has only put brakes and nothing else. This is called crisis management,' Ms Rehman said, adding that no government wanted to put burden on its masses. At the same time, she told the house that the nation would have to bear some more difficult decisions.

She said first the PTI government tied the new government to the worst IMF agreement and then violated it, leaving the country exposed to the entire multilateral financial system.

'Unfortunately, even after leaving the economy in tatters, they continue to stoke fires of political instability in the country, which is extremely dangerous for Pakistan, especially now,' she said.

'When they [PTI] came to power they said they would end corruption. Instead, Pakistan now ranks 140th in the TransA!parency International Corruption Index, from its previous place of 117th. Let us not forget the foreign gifts that Imran Khan bought at...