ISLAMABAD -UNS: As the country continues to brave rising inflation, interim Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar on Wednesday warned that Pakistan’s economic situation was “worse than anticipated” and the government did not have “fiscal space” to provide subsidies.
Her remarks, made during a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Finance today, asserted that the interim set-up had “inherited” the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, hence, it was “non-negotiable”.
The finance minister’s statement comes as Pakistan remains plagued by the inflated cost of living, particularly exorbitant electricity prices that have forced residents to take to the streets across the country.
So far, the caretaker government has failed to come up with any relief measures as it tries to strike a balance between avoiding drawing the IMF’s ire and causing more citizens to blow a fuse.
In the cabinet meeting presided over by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar a day earlier, the interim set-up expressed helplessness on how to address the issue, even on spreading electricity bills in instalments unless the IMF cleared it.
Later, interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi, who didn’t immediately hold a presser after the cabinet’s meeting, told a private TV channel that the government was engaging with the IMF regarding relief measures for electricity consumers and an announcement was expected soon.
A source privy to the meeting told Dawn that the cabinet noted that the interim set-up could not give any relief to consumers, but it could allow breaking up the bills into four to six instalments. “Even in case of instalments, the government will have to get prior permission from the IMF,” the source said.
Addressing a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Finance today, Akhtar said government institutions were suffering “unbearable losses” and underscored the need to accelerate privatisation.
According to the finance minister, 70 per cent of Pakistan’s tax revenue was being spent on debt relief. Moreover, she said the rupee was under pressure due to the dollar’s low inflows and high outflows.
“The next elected government would have to re-engage with independent power producers,” Akhtar stated.
She went on to say that if the IMF agreement was not implemented, the dollar inflow would stop and the economic situation would worsen. But at the same time, the minister highlighted that measures other than the IMF programme needed to be taken.
“Unfortunately, we have done everything to weaken the economy,” she lamented, adding that the Federal Board of Revenue’s revenue was low while the expenditure was high.
The finance minister also debunked the perception that the caretaker government had “unlimited powers”. “We have limited options and will work within them,” she said.
