Ijaz Kakakhel Islamabad
The Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday was informed that the government is utilizing all available resources to bring down prices of the essential items in the country.
This was stated by Minister of State for Finance Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha, while responding to a calling attention notice moved by Tahira Aurangzeb and others regarding increase in the prices of edible items in the country, causing grave concern among the public.
She said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, soon after assuming his office, had announced a massive relief package to protect people from high inflation. She said under the package 19 essential items were provided at subsidized rates through the Utility Stores network across Pakistan. She said a ten-kilogram bag of wheat flour was sold at the rate of 400 rupees and sugar at 70 rupees per kilograms through Utility Stores.
She said the Federal Government is also requesting provinces to contribute in this regard to provide essential items to the people at lower rates. Presenting Consumer Price Index of the last six weeks, Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha said wheat flour and sugar prices decreased by over 17 percent and 2.5 percent respectively.
Meanwhile, the Grand Democratic Alliance staged a walkout of the National Assembly over failure to elect Leader of Opposition. Speaking in the Lower House of the Parliament, Dr Fahmida Mirza said that the House will have to listen to the opposition and if opposition is not listened, then you will not be able to bear the opposition that will come out from within you. “The government has been formed and the ministries have also been divided,” she said.
Following Fehmida Mirza’s address during the National Assembly session, the GDA leaders walked out of the House till election of the Leader of the Opposition.
The National Assembly, which resumed its session at the Parliament House with Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in the chair, transacted private members’ business.
