Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former planning minister Asad Umar said that Imran Khan had tried to save the nation from inflation.

Addressing a press conference along with PTI leaders in Islamabad, Umar blamed the current government for high inflation, which he claimed, was the highest in 11 years.

No country including China, Saudi Arabia, or UAE was willing to offer support to the incumbent government, the PTI leader said, adding that Pakistan was weeks away from a Sri Lanka-like situation.

“The foreign exchange reserves of the State Bank of Pakistan have dipped by more than $6b,” Umar said adding that the no-confidence motion had “hampered” economic progress.

Umar said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was “clueless” and did not have the courage to take decisions.

“Not the PTI but Zardari is enjoying the current situation the most in which PM Shehbaz is completely helpless,” Umar claimed.

Umar credited PTI-led government policies for increase in production of major crops last year, saying that due to the policies of Imran Khan government, cotton production increased by 18.6 percent, sugarcane production by 9.6 percent, rice production by 10.7 percent, and maize production by 8.6 percent.

Umar said that the industrial sector never witnessed a growth of up to 7pc since 2005, however, the current year was the second consecutive year where the country’s industrial growth rate stood at 10pc.

Similarly, he said, energy production increased by 10pc during the PTI government’s tenure.

He reminded Finance Minister Miftah Ismail of his criticism when the previous government hiked the petrol prices.

“Miftah [Ismail], you said who could afford Rs137 per litre petrol and that the PDM wouldn’t allow the [PTI] government to increase even a single rupee on petrol.”

Just remember this statement when you hike the petrol prices, said Umar.