Hammad Azhar refutes the assertion that Shabbar Zaidi has memory loss.

Additionally, the former minister disputes the ex-FBR chairman’s assertion that he supported Zaidi’s plan out of self-interest.

Hammad Azhar, the leader of the former ruling party, mocked former Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) chairman Shabbar Zaidi on Saturday by saying that the latter has “either lost his memory or is trying to appease someone” in response to recent allegations of economic mismanagement by the PTI-led administration.

Speaking on the “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath” segment of the Geo News program, Zaidi asserted that the country would have seen economic collapse had the Imran Khan-led administration served out its full term.

The country’s economy would have crumbled if this [PTI] administration had remained in power, he had claimed, and the party would not have even received 5% of the vote.

Azhar stated in a statement on Saturday that Zaidi had asked for his help in order to abolish the tax exemption for the steel sector in the erstwhile tribal regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (ex-FATA).

The former minister also denied the ex-FBR chairman’s assertion that he supported Zaidi’s idea out of self-interest and Imran Khan rejected it at the time.

PTI rejects Zaidi’s assertions.
Early this morning, the previous ruling party responded to the claims made by the former Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) head, calling them a “disappointing attempt to create a distorted view of PTI’s economic strategy” and describing them as “contrary to the facts.”

PTI disagreed with the assertions, calling Zaidi’s remarks “contradictory, baseless, and a sign of a confused mind” on Twitter.

The PTI tweeted that if Shabbar Zaidi’s statements are believed to be true, then he is also to blame for this.

The former head of the FBR claimed that he had counseled the prime minister at the time to fix his administration’s flaws and “settle things, but he was not in the mood of listening [to anyone]”

The party argued that Zaidi’s departure from the top FBR position in 2020, months after he took office on May 10, 2019, never made any reference of the concerns the ex-FBR chairman had regarding the PTI’s economic plan.

The PTI urged Zaidi to look at the facts before criticizing with a “confused mind” in a long tweet.

Shabbar Zaidi should speak based on facts rather than try to gain attention by making unfounded claims, the tweet said.

The group counseled him to read the International Monetary Fund report and the government’s yearly economic evaluation.

“Reviving Pakistan’s economy won’t be feasible by clinging to falsehoods and lies, but by acknowledging the truth and being prepared to make changes instead.