ATTOCK: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that in five years, it will be revealed whether poverty has been reduced in Pakistan or not.
His remarks came during an address at a ceremony in Attock. Addressing a public gathering, the prime minister said that every government has its own priorities. “We are going to build 10 dams in ten years. Overseas Pakistanis will bring money and the country’s development will increase,” he added.
The prime minister spoke about the soaring sugar prices in Pakistan, saying that Sindh shutting down three mills all of a sudden contributed to the hike in the price of the commodity.
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“The price of sugar in Pakistan has hit Rs140 per kg. I inquired why this was so. I learned that three sugar mills in Sindh which were operational were shut down,” the prime minister said. The premier said that when sugarcane crushing season begins in Pakistan, sugarcane is first taken to sugar mills from Sindh and then later from Punjab.
He said that when the three sugar mills in Sindh shut down, there was a sudden drop in supply and then prices rose to Rs140 per kg. The prime minister added that he subsequently learned that due to the reduced supply, the sugar mills in Punjab began to hoard the commodity.
“Inflation has taken place all over the world and it was bound to affect us as well,” the prime minister said by adding that countries imposed lockdowns to avoid coronavirus, which affected trade.
He said that freight in the world has increased by three times. Inflation is affecting the whole world at the moment. The government is currently incurring a deficit of Rs 450 billion, he maintained.
PM Imran Khan said that the cheapest petrol in the region is in Pakistan. About 30 percent subsidy on flour, ghee, and pulses are being given on Ehsaas cards. They are also giving interest-free home loans, he asserted.
