Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has said that the government would not be pushing up the prices of petroleum products for now.
While addressing a press conference on Sunday, Miftah Ismail said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had not accepted the proposal to increase the prices of petroleum prices today.
The finance minister stated on Twitter that the prices may not be increased for now, but the government would have to “revisit the decision soon”.
Miftah Ismail also expressed criticism of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government, and said that former finance minister, Shaukat Tarin, had made a promise to the International Monetary Fund that the PTI government would do away with all such subsidies.
He also commented on the rate of dollar and stated how it was at Rs115 during the tenure of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, and had increased to Rs189 in the tenure of PTI.
The finance minister stated that the government was working to make the agriculture sector better. He added that the PTI government had done nothing to improve the condition of the agriculture sector.
Ismail stated that during the previous government, smuggling of wheat and fertiliser to Afghanistan took place, and illegal urea and pesticides were sold.
The finance minister also apprised media that he would hold negotiations with the IMF and would come up with a solution to the current issues in a better way.
