ISLAMABAD: PPP leader and Minister for Water Resources Syed Khursheed Shah on Sunday gave a formula for managing the country's economy without going to IMF saying agriculture should be supported for ten years, the country will stand on its feet.
“Whichever the government is, the system of supporting agriculture should continue for ten years and then country will stand on its feet and there will be no need to go to the IMF,” he said this in a press talk on Sunday.
He said there is no need to go to IMF and withdraw subsidy on the urea. He said that cotton support price should be fixed at Rs8,000 per 40kg, wheat Rs3,000, mustard Rs7,000 and then the farmer will be happy to purchase urea at Rs3,000 per 50kg sack instead of Rs1,700,” he said.
He advocated increasing the taxes on cigarettes to get Rs200 billion extra. “I know, it is not easy to talk about withdrawing taxes on cigarettes, and subsidy on urea,” he said. He questioned as to why no tax is levied on cigarettes. He said that taxes on cigarettes should be equal to the health budget,” he said.
Minister for water resources said holding public rallies is everyone’s democratic right and if Imran Khan believes public rallies are good for the country, he should continue holding them. He said he held all stakeholders responsible for the country’s economic crisis and invited all the political parties for joint struggle to bring the country out of economic crisis. “How did we get here, everyone is responsible, but now think ahead and all should sit together to save the debt-ridden and inflation-ridden Pakistan from further crisis,” he said.