Despite an unprecedented surge in price hike and inflation in the country, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry Wednesday looked optimistic and said that while the prices of petroleum products had increased, the prices of other essentials, such as pulses, vegetables, sugar and wheat have decreased.
Briefing media following a meeting of the core committee of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the minister said that party leaders from Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa attended the meeting.
He said that prior to chairing the core committee meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan also chaired a meeting of the Ehsaas programme to get a better picture of the impact of price hike on the poor.
The meeting was attended by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar and senior bureaucrats.
PM Imran Khan, during the meeting said that immediate steps should be taken to alleviate the burden on the people and that the subsidy scheme under the Ehsaas programme should be expanded.
“KP and Punjab are ready to become a part of the subsidy scheme. We want that Sindh and Balochistan also become a part of this scheme,” he said, adding that Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir had also expressed an interest.
The minister said that the real issue was being caused by the Sindh government which was delaying the release of wheat. “Because of this, a 20kg bag of flour is being sold for Rs400 more in Sindh as compared to Punjab and KP.”
“According to our estimates, this year our wheat crop will be historic,” he said, noting that the cotton output was 60pc more than the previous year. The information minister said that sugar prices were coming down and would reduce further once the crushing season begins.
The minister said that while petrol prices had increased, the prices of pulses, vegetables, sugar and flour were on the downward trend. If this trend continues, the public will get some relief on this side considering the increase in petrol prices, he said.
During the PTI core committee meeting held in Islamabad, the government decided to start a direct subsidy programme for the poor.
Speaking on the occasion, PM Imran said he is aware of the difficulties being faced by the poor due to inflation. He said the government is expanding the scope of the Sehat Card, the Kisan Card and the Ehsaas programme.
Contrary to Fawad’s claims, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar had on Monday said that no “immediate relief” can be seen in rising commodity prices, saying it could take at least five months for the “abnormal increase” in global prices to head towards normalcy.
“We hope people get relief soon, but — according to experts — the relief may not be visible immediately and actual improvement may be seen from March,” Umar told a press conference in Islamabad.
Umar said once international commodity prices stabilised and the trend headed towards normalisation, “the government will then be responsible to pass on that relief to the masses.”
While stressing that the world is going through an “extraordinary” situation in terms of commodity prices, he said the rates of basic commodities were still lower in Pakistan compared to the rest of the world.
