Govt faces ire of own party MPs over price hike

ISLAMABAD:

The PTI-led federal government on Friday came under fire from its own lawmakers and coalition partners for the rising food prices and the increase in power and gas tariffs.

During a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan to take the PTI parliamentary party and allies into confidence over the government’s strategy to counter the opposition’s anti-government movement, the parliamentarians belonging to the ruling party and its partners complained about the problems being faced by their constituents because of the current regime’s policies.

At the start of the meeting, PTI MNA Sanaullah Khan Masti Khel hit out at the government’s policies, saying that he could not see the situation improving in the coming days.

He pointed out that he had won as an independent candidate and later joined the PTI.

“People can’t even pay their gas and electricity bills anymore,” he lamented.

The prime minister responded that the present government was not responsible for the crises in the country. He added that those who had launched an anti-government movement now had left the country in ruins.

The premier further said National Food Security and Research Minister Fakhar Imam and Industries and Production Minister Hammad Azhar had been assigned the task of bringing down the prices of wheat and sugar.

PTI MNA Noor Alam Khan told the prime minister that he was working with an incompetent team.

“However, despite our reservations we still stand by you,” he added.

The prime minister assured the lawmakers of the PTI and its allies that they should not worry about the opposition’s movement. “We have held bigger rallies than them,” he added.

 “The opposition parties are ‘unemployed’ and we shouldn’t give much attention to them. I want them to stage rallies every day. They are being exposed before the people with each passing day.”

The premier assured the lawmakers that food prices would be reduce soon.

Food Security Minister Fakhar Imam told the participants of the meeting that wheat was being imported and the prices of the commodity would decrease soon.

Industries and Production Minister Hammad Azhar in his briefing said sugar was being imported and flour was available at Utility Stores at a subsidised rate.

The prime minister had recently said the government would use all resources at the disposal of the state to bring down food prices. His statement came in the wake of the Sensitive Price Indicator-based weekly inflation for the combined consumption group increasing by 1.24%.

The SPI for the week that ended on October 8 was recorded at 140.73 points against 139.01 points registered in the previous week, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 11.28%.

The SPI for the lowest consumption group of up to Rs17,732 witnessed a 1.56% increase and went up from 146.49 points to 148.78 points during the week under review.

The prime minister also directed the Tiger Force to regularly keep a check on prices of food commodities in their localities and post them on the Tiger Force portal.