Ayub criticized the stark contrast of $27 billion flowing out through migration while the government pleads with the IMF for a mere $1.5 billion bailout
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Omar Ayub has launched a scathing critique of the government’s economic policies, claiming that the country has suffered a staggering financial outflow of $27 billion while two million young Pakistanis have left in search of better opportunities abroad. Speaking alongside PTI leaders at Parliament, Ayub painted a grim picture of Pakistan’s economic landscape, juxtaposing the massive capital flight with the government’s ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“These two million people paid an average of four million rupees each to go abroad. If you convert this into dollars, it amounts to $27 billion,” Ayub stated, lamenting that while such a colossal amount has left the country, the government is “begging the IMF for just $1.5 billion.” His remarks reflect growing concerns about Pakistan’s brain drain and economic mismanagement, with the exodus of skilled labor raising alarms about the long-term sustainability of the country’s workforce and investment climate.
The PTI leader did not hold back in his criticism of what he described as the government’s selective approach to accountability. He questioned why key figures from the ruling coalition, including former President Asif Ali Zardari and members of the Sharif family, had not faced legal scrutiny, while PTI leaders remained behind bars. “Our leaders, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, and Hassaan Niazi, are in jail as political prisoners. They can’t see that there is no rule of law in this country. This is why investment is drying up and two crore more people have fallen below the poverty line,” he said, pointing to what he views as the deepening economic and political crisis under the current administration.
Adding to the critique, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan argued that Pakistan’s political system was being undermined, with crucial decisions being made outside Parliament. “We are here only to register our protest because this assembly is not fully representative,” he said, reinforcing PTI’s position that the current government lacks legitimacy. The party has repeatedly claimed that the country’s legislative process has been manipulated, excluding opposition voices and restricting democratic debate.
