ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed federal and provincial authorities to ensure provision of food items to people at affordable rates during the holy month of Ramadan, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday.
The prime minister gave the directives while presiding over a meeting in Lahore to review supply and prices of sugar in the South Asian country.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, wherein Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise till sunset for a month.
While the government tries to keep the prices in check, hoarders often create artificial shortage of essential items to make illegal profits during Ramadan.
“Shehbaz Sharif said provision of sugar and other food items at affordable rates to people is top priority of the government,” the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“He emphasized strict action against smuggling and hoarding.”
The prime minister said the government’s crackdown on sugar smuggling helped combat it successfully in the last few months, directing authorities devise a strategy for provision of food items at affordable rates, according to the report.
The provincial chief secretaries assured the meeting that stern action will be taken against hoarders and the district administrations will work vigilantly to this effect.
The month of Ramadan, the exact start date of which depends on the sighting of the new moon, began in Pakistan on Sunday, with many Pakistanis saying they were feeling the pinch despite a decline in consumer inflation to 2.4 percent in Jan. as compared to 24 percent in the same period last year.
On Saturday, Sharif launched a Rs20 billion ($71.4 million) Ramadan relief package to benefit 4 million families across the South Asian country. The Pakistani government is providing each family Rs5,000 ($17.87) to support them during the holy fasting month.
“This [package] would cover the whole of Pakistan, all provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” Sharif said at the launching ceremony.
“This amount will be distributed among deserving people in all these areas through a digital [wallet] system.”
Pakistan PM asks authorities to ensure provision of food items at affordable rates in Ramadan
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Pakistan PM asks authorities to ensure provision of food items at affordable rates in Ramadan
- The development comes amid a decline in consumer inflation in Pakistan, but many Pakistanis say they are still feeling the pinch
- A day earlier, the Pakistani government launched a Rs20 billion relief package to support 4 million needy families across the country
Pakistani, Bangladeshi officials discuss trade, investment and aviation as ties thaw
- Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war
- Ties between Pakistan, Bangladesh have warmed up since last year and both nations have resumed sea trade
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider on Sunday met Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka, the latter's office said on, with the two figures discussing trade, investment and aviation.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war, which saw the part previously referred to as East Pakistan seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh.
Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have warmed up since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster as a result of a student-led uprising in August 2024. Relations remain frosty between Dhaka and New Delhi over India’s decision to grant asylum to Hasina.
Pakistan has attempted to forge closer ties with Bangladesh in recent months and both South Asian nations last year began sea trade, followed by efforts to expand government-to-government commerce.
"During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to expand cooperation in trade, investment, and aviation as well as scaling up cultural, educational and medical exchanges to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two South Asian nations," Yunus's office said in a statement on X.
In 2023-24 Pakistan exported goods worth $661 million to Bangladesh, while its imports were only $57 million, according to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. In Aug. this year, the Pakistani and Bangladeshi commerce ministries signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a Joint Working Group on Trade, aiming to raise their bilateral trade volume to $1 billion in the financial year that began in July.
The Pakistani high commissioner noted that bilateral trade has recorded a 20 percent growth compared to last year, with business communities from both countries actively exploring new investment opportunities, according to the statement.
He highlighted a significant increase in cultural exchanges, adding that Bangladeshi students have shown strong interest in higher education opportunities in Pakistan, particularly in medical sciences, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence. Haider also said that Dhaka-Karachi direct flights are expected to start in January.
"Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus welcomed the growing interactions between the two countries and emphasized the importance of increased visits as well as cultural, educational and people-to-people exchanges among SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) member states," the statement read.
"Professor Yunus also underscored the need to further boost Bangladesh–Pakistan trade and expressed hope that during Mr. Haider’s tenure, both countries would explore new avenues for investment and joint venture businesses."
