Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan lambasted the government of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, warning that Pakistan could face the threat of food insecurity if the concerns of farmers and the agriculture sector were not addressed.
Speaking at a farmers' convention in Islamabad, he said, "There is a danger to all of us. If special attention is not paid to farmers' conditions then Pakistan could face problems of food security in the future."
"India bought oil from Russia on 40% cheaper rate and reduced the price of petrol and diesel by Rs 25 in the country," the PTI chairman said.
As an aside, this is not factually correct. While the Central Government and the various state governments did in fact slash various taxes on fuel, this was done to prevent further price rises. Fuel in India is still up to Rs 10-15 higher than it was prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The former prime minister also raised questions about the sudden hike in fuel prices, saying what has happened in the two months that petrol prices were raised by PKR 60 per litre along with increase in electricity and gas tariff.
Khan also said that food security was linked to the country's security itself, adding that the issue was not limited to Pakistan but a matter of global concern as the Russia-Ukraine war had impacted wheat supply and prices.
"People are afraid that there will be famines due to how wheat supply has been affected from that war."
Pakistan, a net importer of food and energy, has seen prices of these commodities soar; both due to the ongoing global shortages as well as the weakness of the Pakistani Rupee (PKR).
After hitting a new peak on Monday, the US dollar extended its gains against the PKR in the interbank market and rose past the RKR 205 mark to reach a new high during the early hours of trading on Tuesday.
