ISLAMABAD: Federal government debt increased by Rs37,307 billion during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s first and current terms in office, while debt rose by approximately Rs18,327 billion during the nearly four-year tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
The figures show that the combined increase in federal government debt during Shehbaz Sharif’s two terms was roughly twice the increase recorded during the PTI government’s nearly four-year tenure. The difference between the two figures comes to approximately 104 percent.
During Shehbaz Sharif’s first term as prime minister, from April 2022 to July 2023, federal government debt increased by Rs18,764 billion over a period of around 16 months.
During his current tenure, covering the period from March 2024 to July 2026, federal government debt increased by Rs18,543 billion over approximately 29 months.
Combined, the increase during Shehbaz Sharif’s two periods in office amounts to Rs37,307 billion. This compares with an increase of approximately Rs18,327 billion during the PTI government’s nearly four-year tenure.
However, comparisons between government debt levels across different periods need to take into account factors such as exchange-rate movements, inflation, government financing requirements, fiscal deficits and changes in the composition of public debt.
