November 16, 2018, ISLAMABAD: Speaking on the floor of the House, PPP Parliamentary Leader and Former Senate Opposition Leader, Senator Sherry Rehman questioned the government for shrouding its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Rehman said, “Talks were held between IMF and Pakistan, big developments are taking place, the whole world is talking about it yet the opposition has no right to ask about the terms of the negotiation? IMF is making headlines on national newspapers, the rupee is declining, current account deficit has widened by 34% and today we heard that more than 160 billion rupees in taxes are being levied”.
“In one week of requisition and another week of normal session, I have submitted two calling attention notices and one adjournment motion on IMF. Nothing was communicated in writing and I could be wrong but we were informally told that the instruments cannot be admitted because the IMF team was in town and the terms were not settled yet. This has never happened in the past even when IMF teams were visiting. Why can’t we take on this urgent and critical matter openly in the Senate? It is the Senate’s right to ask questions and it is the government’s responsibility to answer,” insisted the former Senate Opposition Leader.
