Federal Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has said that Pakistan’s path to self-sufficiency would require sacrifices like eating fewer grains of sugar – a notion that was criticized by many citizens on Twitter.
During a media address, Gandapur questioned whether the nation had become so cold that it could not sacrifice a few grains of sugar if it meant better prospects for Pakistan’s economic self-sufficiency.
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) minister wondered that if the inflation rate was 9 percent, did it really hurt to eat fewer bites of flour (roti) to protect the future children from a life of indebtedness to other countries like the US. He added that Prime Minister Imran Khan had told the US that Pakistan would decide its own fate and that was a stance that the nation should also strive for.
مہنگائی کا علاج: اگر چائے میں چینی کے سو دانے ڈالتا ہوں تو کیا نو دانے کم نہیں ڈال سکتے اگر آٹے کے سو نوالے کھاتے ہیں تو نو نوالے کم نہیں کھا سکتے۔۔ہمیں قربانی دینا ہو گی۔
علی امین گنڈا پور کا قوم کو کم کھانے اور کم میٹھا پینے کا مشورہ— Waseem Abbasi (@Wabbasi007) October 7, 2021
Several social media users critiqued Gandapur for his words. One user jabbed that those nations that counted their sugar grains before eating them, were successful in the world.
چائے میں چینی کے دانے گن کر ڈالنے والی قومیں آج ترقی کر رہی ہیں، https://t.co/bpZCxeizmd
— Sami-ul-Haq (@Sami001Haq) October 7, 2021
Another said sardonically that PTI had found a solution for inflation, which was to guilt trip the poor into consuming less staples.
Lo jee PTI ne mehengai ka hal bhe bata diya 😂 Gahreebon ko sharam ani chahiye ! #Youthiya #Logic #inflation #PetrolPrice https://t.co/J7qf5xXEOq
— Rizwan K Qalandar (@qalandarkriz) October 7, 2021
Other users were also displeased at PTI for their approach to ending poverty.
آج سے چائے میں چینی ڈالنے سے قبل 100 دانے برنی میں سے گن کرنکالیں، 9 دانے واپس ڈالیں اور بقیہ پیالی میں مکس کرلیں۔
یہ ہے ویژن ۔۔ غربت ختم کرنے کا اور وطن کیلئے قربانی دینے کا ۔۔ واہ ۔۔
پائین کون او تسی؟ https://t.co/gWX02CMxF6— Kokab Mirza (@kokabmirza) October 7, 2021
یہ ہوتا ہےلیڈر، یہ ہوتا ہے ویژن😅👇 https://t.co/eEiHWvjRwM
— Asma Azam (@AsmaAzam71) October 7, 2021
One user branched out of the criticism to address Gandapur’s taunts against Hindus. In the media address, Gandapur demeaned Hindus for their faith and practices. A user wondered how many ‘bigoted’ ministers like Gandapur were in the PTI government.
At the end he taunts Hindus.
How many bigoted ministers are in this horrible government? https://t.co/ZjVjJoDO6S— Natasha (@OhTripe) October 7, 2021
Taken aback by his ‘justification’ for inflation, many users said that Gandapur could abide by his own stance and consume less ‘honey’.
PTI Minister Ali Amin #Gandapur who claims to keep honey in a bottle of Double #BlackLabel costing approx 20,000 rupees asks the nation to use less sugar in their tea because of increasing prices.
Gandapur also justifies inflation during recent times. #DoubleBlack #Honey pic.twitter.com/y9Nug78c5q
— Hamza Azhar Salam (@HamzaAzhrSalam) October 7, 2021
Agreed! We can even reduce consumption of ‘honey’ . . https://t.co/AaXoRmvEzY
— Ali Iqbal (@AliMomin2274) October 7, 2021
چائے میں چینی کے 9 دانے کم ڈال کر اور سو نوالے کی بجائے کم کھا کر قربانی دیں شہد کی بوتلوں والے بابا جی کا قوم کے نام اہم پیغام https://t.co/5QzLvQVdM1
— Naveed Ahmed (@latestupdate7) October 7, 2021
In doing so, the users had referenced an incident from 2016, in which Gandapur was booked for possession of unlicensed liquor and weapons. The politician had claimed that the bottle of high-end whiskey that was worth Rs20,000 was, in fact, honey.
