Acting up on worsening economy, Pakistan PM Imran Khan directs his cabinet to adopt ‘simple lifestyle’

Islamabad, June 19: With worsening condition and being cash strapped, Pakistan has been using ways to swipe out of the challenges standing ahead of them. Getting a taste of their own misdeeds of soiling terrorism, the country has been ‘Gray’ listed by the FATF organisation for failing to fulfil 25 out of 27 points.

In this view, taking consideration of the country’s economic situation, the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday directed his cabinet to fully implement austerity measures and adopt a ‘simple lifestyle.’

This was discussed during the meeting of the federal cabinet. Pakistan Prime Minister Khan also outlined all the austerity measures undertaken by him, according to his Special Assistant on Information, Firdous Ashiq Awan. Highlighting the steps taken by him, she said that while the previous government had allocated Rs 1.10 billion for the Prime Minister's House, the incumbent government had saved 32% of the amount by spending only Rs 750 million out of it.

She also blamed the Pakistan media for failing to "accurately report" the amount set aside for the Prime Minister's House in the current budget. Awan said the PM House expenses have already seen a cut of 13 per cent in the budget 2019-20.

The Special Assistant also criticised the role of opposition in the National Assembly, labelling the criticism heaped by the opposition regarding the budget as "illogical." During the meeting, Khan stated that he, along with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi would be attending the UN General Assembly session in New York in September.

The Cabinet was also told that 157 rest houses belonging to various government departments along with Pakistan Tourism Development Corp (PTDC) motels and National Highway Authority (NHA) rest houses will be opened to the public.