ISLAMABAD: Members of the National assembly (MNAs) from both sides of the aisle on Sunday called for investigation into the use of huge loans taken by the past governments.

They were unanimous that the country was facing difficult economic conditions and the political parties should cooperate with the government on the common agenda of boosting the economic growth.

Participating in the debate on the federal budget 2019-20, Amjad Ali Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf said the PTI government had to approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF) because the last regime had left behind huge loans and the circular debt.

He said the country’s economic conditions had deteriorated because assets and properties were made in foreign countries. The main parties in the opposition should tell the nation as to how they had come into power in the past, he added.

Khan said the PTI government contacted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the sake of country’s security and integrity.

He thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for taking steps to remove deprivations of the people of South Punjab.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s government had faced the most difficult conditions in 1970s as after the war of 1971, Pakistan had lost its territory and he had to get freed thousands of prisoners of war.

He said when the last PPP government left, the current account deficit was at $2.5 billion (Dh9.18 billion) but now it was about $22 billion.

He said the parliament was the mother of all institutions and it should be respected.

He recalled that the PPP government had given the Gwadar port to China by taking back its control from Singapore, laying the basis for China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The PPP encouraged farmers and Pakistan achieved self-sufficiency in wheat production, he added.

Ashraf reminded the group that the PPP government faced the challenges of worst flood in the country’s history, took back Swat and Malakand from militants, started Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), gave jobs to thousands of people and raised salaries and pensions of civil employees and armed forces.

He said environment in the country should be improved as business confidence was now shattered and investors were afraid to carry on their commercial activities.