Former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Governor of Sindh Muhammad Zubair has criticized country’s frequent recourse to IMF programs and explained that political parties should not bring finance ministers from outside the country.

Speaking on ‘Aaj Exclusive’ on Sunday, Zubair stated that Pakistan’s stock market is very small and can be easily manipulated by a few dozen people.

He also said that Pakistan is about to enter its 24th IMF program, which is a world record. He questioned why Pakistan has gone to the IMF 23 times without any improvement in the lives of its citizens.

Zubair also criticized the practice of political parties in Pakistan appointing finance ministers from outside the country. He said that if a political party does not have its own finance minister, it should not exist.

When asked if the purpose of the February 8 elections was to defeat one party and install another, Zubair replied that this was exactly the case.

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He also said that there have always been two narratives and groups within the PML-N, one led by Shehbaz Sharif and the other by Nawaz Sharif.

He added that some people in the party supported a conciliatory approach, while others supported a more resistant approach. He said that Shehbaz Sharif has never wanted to engage in resistance politics.

Zubair explained that he left the PML-N because the party abandoned its commitment to respecting the votes of its supporters, civilian supremacy, and resistance.

He also said that the only solution for the country’s current political crisis is to hold fresh elections with the consensus of all major political parties.