ISLAMABAD: The federal government will consider about importing goods from India, according to Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, as the cash-strapped country looks for ways to lessen the impact of the disastrous floods.
The finance minister originally suggested importing food from India on Monday, when the nation’s death toll had surpassed 1,100, hundreds of thousands of people had been forced to flee their homes, and thousands of acres of crops had been ruined.
Miftah claimed on Twitter that several foreign organizations had requested authorization from the government to import food from India over the land border. According to Miftah, “the government will decide whether to permit imports or not depending on the supply shortfall position, after discussing its coalition partners and important stakeholders.”
Miftah’s remarks follow Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s denial of the idea of importing commodities from India during a conversation with members of the foreign media, according to Geo News.
“The PM essentially ruled out the prospect of importing vegetables from India to make up for shortages brought on by the terrible floods, noting that the two sides needed to discuss the state of human rights in India-held Kashmir.
Shehbaz, however, stated that he was prepared to speak with Narendra Modi about the matter. In the meanwhile, the government is importing onions and tomatoes from Iran and Afghanistan, which would help stabilize their prices, according to Federal Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar on Wednesday.
