Islamabad: Defence Minister Khwaja Asif spoke in support of Finance Minister Miftah Ismail after the former hinted that he was facing criticism within the party.
Earlier, the finance minister said that he was “not supposed to” appear on national television the night before to announce a hike in the prices of petroleum products but he did so after being asked by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
His comments came after a clip of his appearance on a television show was shared on social media.
However, the defence minister appreciated his colleague for executing his duties “under difficult circumstances” and called him one of the “hardest working” member of PM Shehbaz’s team.
“FM Miftah is among the hardest working members of PM’s team, accessible to all stakeholders. He is performing very well under difficult circumstances, with immense criticism from vested interests — including, and unfortunately, from within PML-N. Time to show solidarity with Miftah,” tweeted the defence minister.
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Hours after Asif’s tweet, senior PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also came out in Miftah’s support.
“Miftah Ismail’s knowledge of economics and the Pakistan economy is without parallel in Pakistan politics today. He is one of the most effective members of PM’s cabinet,” said the former prime minister.
The PML-N leader said that the finance minister “played a crucial role in saving Pakistan from default and in implementing PML-N’s economic reform agenda”.
