Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin stated on Sunday that Pakistan is the cheapest country in the world, but opposition leaders dismissed the assertion and slammed the government for inflicting unprecedented inflation on the people over the previous three and a half years.
The minister took to Twitter to provide screenshots of the most recent cost of living index on his official account. He claimed that among the 139 countries on the globe, Pakistan was the cheapest.
In response to the finance minister’s statement, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the president of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), questioned how the government could claim that Pakistan was a cheap country to live in when people were committing suicide as a result of price hikes, unemployment, and the country’s extremely high cost of living.
Such declarations, he claimed, contradict reality on the ground, and that the selected administration will be overthrown shortly with the people’s cooperation.
According to the finance minister, Numbeo’s — the world’s largest cost of living database — has ranked Pakistan as the least costly country out of 139, and this is not due to “official claims.” A family of four in Pakistan spends over Rs171,783.24 per month (without rent), while a single person spends around Rs51,798.76 per month, according to the Numbeo index (without rent).
The cost of living in Pakistan is 71.52 per cent lower on average than in the United States, according to the database. In Pakistan, the rent for a residence is claimed to be 90.64 per cent lower than in the United States.
Milk costs Rs122.56 per litre in Pakistan, rice costs Rs159.07 per kg, and eggs cost Rs175.04 per dozen, according to the Numbeo database. Chicken meat costs Rs393.45 per kilogramme, beef costs Rs645.1 per kilogramme, apples cost Rs170 per kilogramme, oranges cost Rs115.29 per kilogramme, tomatoes cost Rs77.86 per kilogramme, potatoes cost Rs55.16 per kilogramme, onions cost Rs52 per kilogramme, water (1.5-litre bottle) costs Rs61.01, and cigarettes 20 pack (Marlboro) costs Rs250 in Pakistan.
One-way tickets (local transit) cost around Rs40, taxis start at Rs150, taxi per kilometre costs around Rs36.61, and a new Toyota Corolla automobile costs around Rs3.24 million, according to the Numbeo database.
Similarly, basic utilities (electricity, heating, cooling, water, garbage) for an 85 m2 apartment cost around Rs11,425,43 per month, one minute of prepaid mobile tariff local costs Rs2.67, the internet (unlimited monthly data) costs Rs3,596.98, one pair of jeans (Levis or similar) costs Rs2,527, a summer dress in a chain store costs Rs3,980, and a pair of Nike mid-range running shoes costs Rs8,412.
According to the Numbeo database, a one-bedroom apartment in Pakistan’s city centre costs Rs20,341, a one-bedroom apartment outside of the city centre costs Rs12,999.81, a three-bedroom apartment in the city centre costs Rs45,441, and a three-bedroom apartment outside of the city centre costs Rs28,861. A one-bedroom apartment in the city centre costs around Rs131,744 per square metre, whereas a one-bedroom apartment outside the city centre costs around Rs73,749 per square metre.
In the previous year, 794 different contributors provided 1,0285 entries, according to the Numbeo website. The data was also updated this month, according to the statement.
Separately, Shaukat Tarin, speaking on Radio Pakistan’s current affairs programme, claimed Prime Minister Imran Khan was following the Riyasat-e-Madina model in achieving his vision of empowering Pakistanis. He claims that many efforts for common people have been established, including the health card, the Ehsaas portal, and other programmes. “Unlike previous rulers who acquired money through immoral practices,” he continued, “the Prime Minister is an upright and transparent individual.”
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, on the other hand, expressed his displeasure with the task of staging a so-called power show against the government in Rawalpindi at an inconvenient time, when the Australian cricket team would be playing their first test match of the tour against Pakistan.
He declared the Australians and green shirts would play the first cricket test series in Pakistan in 23 years in a tweet.
The entire country was ecstatic to see this type of cricket again, but only the “hodgepodge” opposition was concerned, he added, and was planning a “rent-a-power show.”
Farrukh Habib, the State Minister for Information and Broadcasting, announced on Sunday that the government had devised a plan to assist every low-income family in constructing their own home. He claimed that the PTI government had done a lot to assist people.
He was addressing at the Jhang Press Club during the inauguration of the Jhang Union of Journalists’ newly elected members. He went on to say that the Kamyab Jawan programme was linked to the House Project, which provides low-income persons with 3- to 7-year housing loans. He stated that previous governments had just handed out lollipops to the public, but that the PTI government was working hard to improve the welfare and well-being of the people.
He said that the government was awarding children hi-tech credentials as part of the “Skill for All” campaign so that they might establish their own enterprises instead of relying on government jobs.
Because the costs of furnace oil, coal, and LNG are higher, people will have to face fuel price adjustments, according to Minister of Energy Hammad Azhar.
He predicted that the PTI would win local body elections in Punjab while speaking at a function in Lahore. “PTI is not a thieving political party,” he stressed.
According to Hammad Azhar, the Prime Minister built shelter dwellings. “The world is being impacted by the inflation storm. We would provide relief to individuals when there is less inflation on the worldwide level,” he continued.
He claimed that the increase in fuel prices on energy bills is due to previous governments’ initiatives. “They’ve put in place pricey LNG and coal projects.” “Today, we have to pay greater rates for LNG and coal,” he said.
According to the minister, the country’s economy is growing significantly. “The visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Russia is historic,” he added.
The opposition leaders, on the other hand, did not believe the minister’s allegations. Marriyum Aurangzeb, the leader of the PMLN, stated that the country is experiencing the highest inflation and lowest growth rate in its history.
Separately, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), claimed on Sunday that the “chosen” and “puppet” regimes have pushed people into poverty.
On World Social Justice Day, he said that achieving social justice is “essential to making the country peaceful, progressive, and affluent.”
He stated that the PPP’s planned long march against excessive inflation will begin on February 27 and that social justice was at the heart of the party’s ideology and battle.
“Empowering the weaker segments of society, including women,” is one of the PPP’s goals. He claimed that the policies of the PPP government had allowed the poor and vulnerable to hope for a better future.
