Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan said that inflation would not be controlled if the early general elections were not held.

“I fear these prices won’t stop here and the country could descend into a Sri Lanka-like economic crisis ,” he said while addressing the anti-inflation protest rallies via video link on Sunday.

The PTI workers and supporters took to the streets in various cities to protest against the government for its failure to control inflation.

Imran Khan warned that the people who will be affected by it will be the lower class, salaried class and especially the farmers.

The PTI chairman slammed the coalition government for its claims that the PTI-led government had made agreements with IMF and they had no option but to raise prices. “His government reduced the petroleum prices despite the IMF pressure,” he said.

“In our time, when the price of diesel went up by Rs 12, they launched the inflation march against the government,” he said while reminding his supporters of the PPP’s inflation march’.

The PTI chairman said that since the coalition government had come to power they had increased petrol prices by Rs84 and diesel by Rs110.

“Have we not protected the interests of our people? Then why can’t they [government] protect it? “

Imran Khan said the government had nothing to do with public service delivery, adding that if they were sincere why they were not buying low price oil from Russia.

Reiterating his claims of ‘foreign conspiracy’ to topple his government, Khan said that he had warned of economic crisis and chaos when he was being ousted.

“I told ‘neutrals’ that if his government was ousted then the country will not remain stable,” he said.

Regarding the status of Pakistan on the FATF ‘grey list’, the PTI chief alleged that Pakistan was on the list because of the PML-N.

“They told me that they will vote for FATF when I will give them NRO,” he said, adding that the PTI government enacted FATF without the then opposition.

He reiterated his demand of early elections and warned if free and transparent elections were not held the economic situation would further deteriorate.

Imran Khan said that he will soon give a call for the second long march against the “imported government”.

Last week the PTI chairman had called for a nationwide protest against the sharp rise in petroleum products and inflation in the country.

He asked his supporters to join him on Sunday, June 19 at 9 pm for a protest.

“Everyone has to come out against this imported government. Otherwise, inflation will further increase,” Imran had said in a video message.