Burden of inflation to ease in coming days: Musadik

Minister admits the deepening divide between 'haves and have-nots'

ISLAMABAD:

In a bid to soothe frayed nerves as inflation whizzes past all records, Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik on Sunday claimed that the burden of inflation would be eased in the coming days as economic revival remains the government’s foremost priority.

Addressing a news conference, the minister rued the laws that discriminated between the rich and the poor – a reality, he said, was revealed to him after he assumed the charge of the ministry.

He bemoaned that “a small thief was convicted but the one who stole ornaments was not brought under the law”, in an apparent reference to PTI chief and former premier Imran Khan.

Admitting the deepening divide between the 'haves and have-nots', he said there existed "two kinds of Pakistans", noting that while one was the country of big luxury vehicles, children of the poor people were starving to death in the other.

"The Pakistan of the rich and Pakistan of the poor will now separate the country of the weak and powerful."

Musadik assured that to end this misery, imported stoves and dog food would be taxed.

“The PTI government bought cars worth billions of rupees and helped Arif Naqvi’s company earn billion of rupees in profit as well,” he said while criticising Imran.

He said that Imran flouted the law but was never questioned.

“Mr Khan wants to throw children of others behind bars but he will not surrender himself,” he added.

His remarks were in the wake of the government’s recent decision to increase gas prices in line with the recommendation of the International Monetary Fund in addition to a mini-budget that is likely to exacerbate inflation.

The country is facing a crippling economic crisis, with decades-high inflation and critically low foreign exchange reserves depleted by continued debt repayment obligations.