Pak PM Sharif says "even friendly countries started looking at Pakistan as beggars"
Islamabad, Sep 15: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has presented a bleak picture of the country's dwindling economy, regretting that even friendly countries have started looking at Pakistan as one that was always begging for money.
Today, when we go to any friendly country or make a phone call, they think that we have come [to them] to beg for money, Dawn news quoted the prime minister as saying in an address to a lawyers' convention on Wednesday.
Sharif said even small economies have surpassed Pakistan, and we have been wandering for the past 75 years carrying a begging bowl .
According to Sharif, Pakistan's economy was facing a "challenging situation" even before the floods, which had made it more "complicated".
He said Pakistan was on the verge of "economic default" when he assumed power in April, following the ouster of then prime minister Imran Khan, and the coalition government had saved the country from default through its hard work.
He added that the coalition government led by him controlled to some extent" the economic instability in the cash-strapped nation.
Admitting that inflation was "at its peak" when he took charge, the premier indirectly blamed the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for this situation in the country.
Sharif alleged that the previous rulers had violated the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), compelling the incumbent government to agree on tough conditions.
The IMF had even threatened withdrawal of its programme if the agreed conditions were not met, he added.
The IMF on August 29 approved a bailout package for cash-starved Pakistan, including disbursement of about USD 1.18 billion.
The IMF move followed the completion of the USD 4 billion in bilateral financing from four friendly nations, including China.
The prime minister also warned of a possible gas crisis in the coming winter, stating that he had been struggling to arrange gas before the advent of the winter season.
He said the rains and floods had played unprecedented havoc in the country, adding that such climate-induced catastrophe had perhaps not been witnessed anywhere in the world, according to the Dawn report.
The cash-strapped nation has been struggling with the worst floods in the past 30 years, leaving more than 1,400 dead and 33 million people affected since early June.
A third of the country is submerged in water and one in every seven persons is badly affected by the floods that have led to an estimated USD 12 billion in losses that have left about 78,000 square kilometres (21 million acres) of crops under water.
The UN said that USD 150 million have been pledged so far in response to flash appeals for Pakistan's flood victims but only USD 38 million has been converted into assistance.
While several countries have come forward to provide aid to Pakistan in such a crisis, Pakistan and the UN had launched a flash appeal for USD 160 million in initial funding out of which USD 150 million has been pledged.
United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Julien Harneis said the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Denmark, Australia, Singapore, and others were the main donors besides the Central Emergency Response Fund of the United Nations, which raised USD 10 million.
Meanwhile, the Nepalese government Wednesday sent humanitarian relief materials to Pakistan to support the flood-affected people. The Nepal Airlines chartered flight carried food items, medicines, and garments apart from other household items.
Canada on Wednesday announced an additional USD 25 million of funding in humanitarian assistance to support Pakistan in this difficult time.
An official statement said the new allocation was in addition to the USD 5 million announced last month and added that Canada would continue to provide food, clean water, and other essential services through trusted partners.
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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
