Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for ending differences among political parties to have a prosperous country, which has been living on the international lenders’ lifeline for the past many years.

“No obstacle can come in our way if we get united and end our differences,” he said at an event in Lahore on Saturday. “There are billions of rupees of minerals in Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Let’s sit together and make Pakistan great.”

His comments came less than a month before the incumbent National Assembly would complete its tenure, paving the way for interim setup. Pakistan is expected to go for elections this year, however, the South Asian country has a major challenge to boost its economy and meet the International Monetary Fund’s conditions to complete the loan agreement.

The premier described the IMF loan as a “moment of breathing space” and highlighted that the elites have a huge responsibility. Last year, the ruling coalition imposed a 10% temporary “super tax” on as many as 13 big industries to alleviate poverty. But the levy was struck down by the Islamabad High Court earlier this week.

The premier reiterated his call called for a ‘charter of economy’ and ‘charter of democracy’ for the sake of continuity of policies and for the prosperous future of the country.

He regretted that the false allegations of thefts and corruption had divided the nation. The prime minister called upon all to realise the issues confronted by the country.

PM Shehbaz stressed that the government should convert it into an opportunity, adding that it was also a moment of introspection for all. “We have to resolve to equip young generations with the latest education, especially the poor and deprived classes,” he said.

SBP should have received £190m from NCA, says PM Shehbaz

PM Shehbaz has said that the money coming from Britain in the £190 million case went to the Supreme Court account instead of the treasury of Pakistan.

The UK’s National Crime Agency investigated the case for two years and the British government said that the money belonged to the Pakistani people, but the country’s treasury did not get the money, the premier said at a ceremony after the stone laying of different development projects in Sharqpur on Saturday,

He was speaking about the NCA scandal in which the former prime minister is the main accused.

He questioned the “manner” in which the case was handled by saying that it would have been better if the money went to the State Bank. The PTI government became a party in London, what was the need for them to become a party? PM Shehbaz inquired.

The former PTI government became an uninvited party in the case, he claimed and added that the money would have been spent on development projects if the Rs50 billion had gone to the national kitty.

He said that the Supreme Court was a respected institution of the state similar to other institutions, however, “it is not the state”.

The treasure of Pakistan was the State Bank of Pakistan, the prime minister stated.

Sharif said that the PTI government’s cabinet did not see the paper nor had a discussion over the NCA probe. Passing any decision in such a manner was a “huge crime”, he added.

He went on to add that the country would have been on the path of development if the PML-N was in the government. He accused the previous government of wasting four and a half years.

The premier also pointed to the several accusations made against the opposition parties during the former PTI government. Without naming the PTI chairman, he said that it was said that $300 billion are parked in foreign countries and that he would bring it in three months.

Pakistan would have been standing on its feet today if Rs300 billion were brought back and the government would not have to go to the IMF, Sharif said.

While speaking about the general elections, the prime minister said that they would accept the public’s mandate. But he stressed that the people should decide who has served the country.

In his address, the prime minister said that three countries supported Pakistan in its negotiation with the global lending institution. “China stood firmly by the country while Saudi Arabia also landed a helping hand to Pakistan,” he stated.