ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan presided over a cabinet meeting on Wednesday to discuss the mini-budget 2021-22.
According to sources, the PM said that since the country had to suffer the consequences of the economic policies formulated by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and ex-president Asif Ali Zardari, a mini-budget was necessary.
He also criticized former regimes and said that since political leaders borrowed hefty loans from international organizations during their tenures, the country has become enslaved to debts.
PM Imran Khan further said that the country takes loans from international organizations and after it fails to return them, more loans have to be borrowed from the same organizations to pay off their debts.
Talking about the ongoing gas crisis in the country, the premier also assured to resolve the issues with the construction of LNG terminals and virtual pipelines.
To meet the conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the revival of its $6 billion loans, the PTI government is expected to table a mini-budget before the Parliament next week.
Earlier, Ministry of Finance Spokesperson Muzzammil Aslam had said the government would not impose any taxes in the upcoming mini-budget on items used by the common man.
On the other hand, the Opposition has strongly condemned the mini-budget and has decided to stage a protest against the government’s decision.
