집권 3년간 전례 없는 인플레이션‥사퇴 압박 내몰린 파키스탄 임란 칸 총리
*아시아엔 해외필진 기고문의 한글번역본과 원문을 함께 게재합니다.
[아시아엔=나시르 아이자즈 파키스탄 지사장] 집권당 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI)의 연이은 실정으로 파키스탄의 정치·경제적 혼란이 갈수록 깊어지고 있다.
최근 야당은 임란 칸 총리를 축출하고자 거리로 나섰다. 2018년 8월 집권한 칸 총리는 지금껏 약속했던 정책들을 시행하지 않아 ‘미스터 유턴’ ‘라이어’라는 불명예스런 별명을 얻었다. 파키스탄 야권은 PTI 집권 초기부터 불만을 표해 왔지만, 내부 의견차이와 군부의 견제 등으로 인해 이렇다 할 움직임을 보이진 못했다. 그러나 최근 들어 반정부 기치 아래 결집하기 시작했다.
나와즈 샤리프 파벌의 파키스탄 무슬림리그(PML-N), 마울라나 파즐레만 파벌의 자미앗 울레마이-이슬람 등이 주축이 된 파키스탄 민주주의운동(The Pakistan Democratic Movement, PDM)은 파키스탄 전역에서 대규모 시위에 나섰다. 초기 PDM의 또다른 주축이었으나 노선의 차이로 갈라선 파키스탄인민당(Pakistan People’s Party, PPP) 역시 같은 날 시위를 벌였다.
야당 지도자들은 시위에서 “모두가 합심해 ‘무능한 통치자’를 끌어내려야 한다”고 외쳤다. 야당은 현 총리를 ‘선택 받은 통치자’라 부르곤 하는데, 이는 현 정권이 군부 기득권층에 의해 간택 받았다는 설과 관련이 있다. 야권의 요구사항은 간단명료하다. 임란 칸 총리의 퇴임이다.
야당의 이 같은 행보는 지난 금요일 이슬람 극우 정당 테흐리크-에-라바이크 파키스탄(Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, TLP)이 연방 수도 이슬라마바드로 향하려다 좌초된 대장정과 맞물려 있다. TLP는 이전 정부 때도 이와 유사한 집단 움직임에 나선 적이 있다. TLP는 민간정부를 약화시킨 군부 설립에 일조한 바 있으며 PTI가 집권하기 이전까진 공조하는 관계였으나, PTI 정부 출범 이후에는 정부의 골칫거리가 되고 말았다. 결국 임란 칸 총리는 10월 29일 금요일 국가안전위원회를 주요 현안들을 논의하기에 이르렀다.
대중이 임란 칸 총리와 여당에 불만을 가지게 된 이유는 무엇일까? 임란 칸 총리는 경제위기에서 국가를 구하겠다는 약속과 달리 오히려 경제를 악화시켰고, 막대한 외채와 전례 없는 인플레이션으로 빈곤층에 커다란 부담을 안겼다.
공식집계에 따르면 PTI 정부 3년간 물가상승률이 70년 만에 최고치를 기록했다. 지난 3년 간 식료품 가격은 두 배 가까이 올랐으며, 전기요금은 57%, 석유 및 가스 등도 이와 비슷한 상승률을 나타냈다. 이 같은 유례없는 인플레이션은 야당으로 하여금 “물가 상승을 통제하지 못한 총리는 사퇴하라”고 외칠 수 있는 명분을 준 것이다. 번역 이주형 기자
Pakistan plunges in political and economic crisis
By Nasir Aijaz, The AsiaN Representative
The political and economic chaos in the country is deepening with every passing day due to the perpetual mismanagement and wrong policies of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and the opposition parties have taken to the streets to dislodge the Prime Minister Imran Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, openly dubbed as ‘Mr. U-turn’ and ‘Liar’, for never implementing his manifesto since coming into power in August 2018.
Although the opposition parties had been agitating since against the PTI government from very first year of its rule, they failed to get rid, mainly because of their own internal differences, and suspended protests reportedly under the pressure of military however they again have launched a fresh series of anti-government rallies since last week.
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of opposition parties, led by the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Sharif Faction), known as PML-N and Jamiat Ulmai-e-Islam (Maulana Fazl-e-Rehman Faction) called as JUI-F, held rallies in a number of cities and towns across the country. Another opposition party Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) also launched agitation the same day but separately. The PPP was previously member of PDM but later parted ways due to certain difference with PML-N and JUI-F.
At the rallies, the opposition leaders urged all segments of society, including traders, transporters, students, farmers, laborers and lawyers, to join the campaign to rid the country of “selected and incompetent rulers”. The opposition parties often use the term ‘Selected Rulers’, as according to them the PTI was brought to power being ‘selected by the Military Establishment’.
The opposition parties’ anti-government drive is gaining momentum and even today (Friday), the PPP has planned holding demonstrations across the country. In Sindh province alone, the PPP has announced staging such demonstrations in more than thirty cities.
Now the main demand of the opposition parties is that Prime Minister Imran Khan should step down forthwith.
The opposition parties’ drive is coupled with the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) Long March that started from Punjab province’s capital Lahore on Friday last and is heading to federal capital Islamabad. It has become another source of worry for the PTI government as it has decided to seal all entry points of the federal capital and other major cities coming on the way. This notorious banned religious outfit had staged such Long March and sit-in in the past also during the government of PML-N, and is known as ‘a tool of military establishment’ to weaken the civilian governments. It’s the same extremist outfit, which had support of PTI before coming into power however now the same banned outfit has become headache for the PTI government.
In view of such a grave scenario, Prime Minister Imran Khan has summoned a meeting of the National Security Committee today (Friday) to discuss the situation in the country.
The masses are unhappy with Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party, as contrary to their all promises of steering the country out of economic crisis, they have destroyed the economy and overburdened the poor with foreign loans and unprecedented inflation.
According to data released by certain official agencies, the inflation has reached its highest levels in 70 years during the three-year tenure of the PTI government, with food prices doubling, while the prices of cooking oil, sugar, wheat flour, petrol and poultry have reached historic levels.
The statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics show that from October 2018 to October 2021, the electricity rates registered an increase of 57 percent. Similar is the case with the rates of petroleum and Compressed Natural Gas. The prices of certain edibles have registered hundred percent raise.
Owing to such an unprecedented inflation, the opposition parties are demanding immediate resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan calling it “his failure to control price hike”.