According to a report in Money Control, Imran Khan, Pakistan’s prime minister, believes that his country is in a better economic position than India, despite the economic turmoil Pakistan has been experiencing.
On Tuesday, Khan said that Pakistan is in a better economic condition than many countries in the region, especially India, speaking at the inaugural session of the International Chambers Summit 2022 in Islamabad.
The Times of India reported that Khan, at the summit organised by Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), said, “Pakistan is still one of the cheapest countries compared to many countries in the world. They (opposition) call us incompetent, but the fact is that our government has saved the nation from all crises”, the report said.
Khan reportedly also said that, among other things, oil prices in Pakistan are cheaper than those in other countries. His claims come as the government is introducing a finance bill in Parliament as part of a condition requested by the IMF. The bill, if cleared, will clear the decks for $1 billion tranche in aid for Pakistan.
The bill was debated in the National Assembly on Tuesday, during which Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif alleged that the government was “putting Pakistan at stake for mere $1 billion”, the report said.
The Imran Khan government in Pakistan is facing a financial crisis amid rising inflation and a surge in the country’s trade deficit, leading the opposition to call for the prime minister’s resignation. (Money Control)
