Pakistan
Caretaker finance minister refuses any kind of subsidy in electricity bills
She added that if IMF agreement is not followed, the inflow of dollars will be stopped.
Islamabad: Caretaker Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar said: “There is no financial capacity to give any kind of subsidy in electricity bills”.
Shamshad Akhtar, taking a blunt position in the Senate Standing Committee on Finance, stated that there is no financial capacity, they cannot give any additional subsidy. The agreement made by the former coalition government with International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be fully implemented, including the adjustment of electricity tariff.
Talking to media after meeting, Shamshad also announced the promise of improvement to poor and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
She added that if IMF agreement is not followed, the inflow of dollars will be stopped. Therefore, the IMF agreement on electricity tariff will be fully implemented.
The minister continued to say: “I belongs to a very ordinary background, I feel very sad when I see the poor suffering. There is room in the social safety net, poor people have to be supported”.
We will fulfill our responsibility regarding the IMF. It is not possible that we ignore the agreements of previous government, added Akhtar.
Shamshad also said that Pakistan is more important for me than IMF. It is necessary to bring stability in Pakistan for improvement.
Later, in a video message, Caretaker Finance Minister said that my statement was wrongly presented in the Standing Committee on Finance.
It is an honor for me to get an opportunity to serve the country. I said some people say why did you accept the challenge in difficult circumstances, I will serve the country with all my efforts, she clarified.