ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry held Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari responsible for Pakistan’s economic woes.

In a Tweet on Friday, the minister said that the country’s economic woes were a “gift” from Sharif and Zardari’s 10 years in power.

“The $15billion loan which we paid this year could have been used for giving subsidy on oil and electricity, he said, while criticising the ex-president and three-time prime minister.

پاکستان کی معاشی مشکلات زرداری-نواز شریف کے دس سالوں کا تحفہ ہیں، آج اگر ہمیں اس سال بارہ ارب ڈالر کا قرضہ اور سود واپس نہ کرنا ہوتا تو یہ پیسہ تیل اوربجلی کو سبسڈی میں استعمال ہوتا اور ہم دنیا میں قیمتوں میں اضافے کے رجحان سے بچ جاتے ان تاریک دس سالوں کے اثرات تباہ کن ہیں

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— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) October 8, 2021

Chaudhry said, “The effects of the international increase in prices that Pakistan faces today are the outcome of those disastrous ten years of past governments.”

Opposition corruption cases

In 2018, Prime Minister Imran Khan won the elections, vowing to root out corruption in Pakistan and initiated probes against Sharif and Zardari.

Sharif’s third term as prime minister ran from 2013 to 2017, when the Supreme Court of Pakistan removed him amid revelations over his wealth. Sharif has consistently denied the accusations.

On October 25, 2019, however, he was granted bail by a court on medical grounds, following which he left Pakistan for the UK. Until now, he has not returned to face the charges against him in the Pakistani courts.

Meanwhile, Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz, also his political heir, is also facing corruption cases and is barred from travelling abroad.

Another main opposition Zardari, also the spouse of the late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, is also under arrest on corruption charges, which he denies.