Global powers have pitted Pakistanis against each other and want to take advantage of the internal rift in the country, analyst Nazir Leghari alleged.

“Our geographical situation is the best in the world with China, Iran, and India as our neighbours. We could become the richest country in the world by taking advantage of our geographical importance. But we did not do what sovereign states do,” he said at Aaj News show Rubaroo on Friday.

Leghari was referring to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s statement in which he alleged that geopolitics was behind a stalled IMF loan programme as global institutions wanted Pakistan to default like Sri Lanka and then enter negotiations.

On Thursday, Dar also insisted that negotiations with the IMF were ongoing and the ninth review would be completed this month.

Leghari claimed that Pakistan’s economy was built on fear and terror. “Drugs and arms trade have become our economy. I heard someone during a conference demanding that Pakistani banks should be allowed to operate in the Central-Asian states, which will bring the drug money to Pakistan.”

Analyst Nasir Baig Chughtai said that Pakistan has always been under pressure from global powers. All of them have tried to blackmail Pakistan, however, all of the country’s rulers stood up to that pressure, he added.

“This time, they have set their eyes on our nuclear assets and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. They say that Pakistan should ask China for assistance if it continues to deepen bilateral relations with the Chinese.”

To a question regarding the upcoming elections, he said the ECP’s lawyer during a court hearing spoke about the possibility of the election being delayed.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari recently said that the government cannot hold the election in two months, Chughtati said, adding that the former president claimed that the general election “would be held when he says”.

“These statements create uncertainty regarding the elections being held on time. However, the elections should be held on time,” he added.

Legal expert Shoaib Shaheen said that while the global powers have been exploiting Pakistan’s situation, the governments in the past have also not done anything to bring out the country of such situations.

“The economy of the country nosedived during the previous 13 months. Inflation is at an all-time high in the country. Political instability, human rights violations, and absence of law have affected Pakistan’s dealing with the global powers,” he added.

He confirmed Chughtai’s information that ECP’s lawyer has said that elections might get delayed.