ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has summoned a high-level meeting to discuss rising inflation in the country on Thursday (Today)

Well-informed sources said that the meeting will take place at the Prime Minister House. During the meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan will receive a briefing from officials on the current prices of edible items.

The meeting will take important decisions to curb the surging inflation in the country.

Federal ministers, advisers, and special assistants will attend the meeting. Provincial chief secretaries have also been directed to attend and inform the prime minister about the steps taken in this regard.

‘Govt to provide direct subsidies on food items to the poor’

On Wednesday, Federal Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin blamed the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) programme for the rising inflation in the country. However, the minister assured people that the government will provide direct subsidies on food items to the poor.

Addressing a press conference with Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib and Special Assistant on Food Security Jamshed Iqbal Cheema in Islamabad, Tarin had said:

“Around 50% difference was recorded in the price of ghee globally, while we [Pakistan] kept the difference around 30%. The price of wheat recorded an increase of 13.5%.”

The finance minister had highlighted that petrol is available at Rs123 per litre in Pakistan, and on the contrary, it is available at Rs250 per litre in India.

“We [government] will give subsidy on ghee, bearing the burden of additional prices on imported ghee,” he had said, adding that the government will give direct subsidy on food items to the poor people.

The finance minister had further disclosed that the cash subsidy will be given to 40 million people.