Raise minimum wage to Rs35,000: Miftah

PESHAWAR:

Former finance minister Miftah Ismail on Saturday suggested that to meet the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government would have to raise the minimum wage from Rs25,000 to Rs35,000.

Addressing a two-day seminar titled “Re-imagining Pakistan” held by the PPP at Peshawar’s Nishtar Hall via video link, he noted that 86% of the nation’s children were suffering from malnutrition.

Several other politicians including PML-N senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, National Democratic Movement (NDM) chief MNA Mohsin Dawar, former president of the PPP Balochistan chapter Lashkari Raisani, former PPP senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, and PPP’s Nawabzada Khawaja Muhammad Khan Hoti participated in the event.

Miftah observed that the people who lacked resources were left behind than the others in the country.

Highlighting his concern over the depleting foreign currency reserves, he said his economic team had made every possible effort to revive Pakistan's economy and avert the risk of default risk but unfortunately the country was heading towards bankruptcy.

Speaking at the seminar, former premier Abbasi was of the view that there was so much animosity in Pakistan in the current scenario that the government and opposition had lost the ability to address the woes faced by the country together.

“It is unfortunate that the situation has come to this stage,” the senior PML-N leader said while delivering his speech.

"It is about time that politicians should set aside their personal gains and sit together to solve these problems," he added.

The participants of the seminar discussed the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, its financial problems the merger of the tribal districts, and the rights of the province.

Addressing the participants of the event, former K-P minister Shahzada Gustasap Khan observed that activists of political parties were not even willing to shake hands with each other.

He added that the National Assembly had turned into a local government body.

Speaking on the occasion, Dawar noted that the Afghan policy had paved the way for a new wave of violence.

He added that despite facing years of terrorism, almost all political parties had the same view on the Afghan policy.

He warned that if the flaws in Pakistan's Afghan policy were not removed, the country would end up facing the worst form of terrorism.

Former senator Khokhar said the country was treading a perilous path and seminars were being organised across the country to give the nation a new direction.

Hoti, the host of the event, noted that the NA speaker had ousted several MNAs from the House only to protect his own seat and that of the prime minister while PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s fued was limited to making him the premier again.

He expressed his regret that an “80-year-old” caretaker set-up had been installed in K-P.