'No compromise on chai’: Netizens erupt on Pakistan minister’s ‘drink less tea’ announcement
Pakistan's Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal was quoted as saying by news agency PTI, “I appeal to the nation to cut down the consumption of tea by 1-2 cups because we import tea on loan.”
- Jun 16, 2022,
- Updated Jun 16, 2022 3:51 PM IST
Storm in a tea cup is what cash-strapped Pakistan is going through at the moment, if you ask the country’s Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal. Iqbal was quoted as saying by news agency PTI, “I appeal to the nation to cut down the consumption of tea by 1-2 cups because we import tea on loan.”
The announcement came after reports suggesting that Pakistan consumed tea worth $400 million in FY2021-22 came up. Federal budget for the outgoing fiscal suggested Pakistan imported $60 million worth more tea than the last fiscal year. In FY2020-21, Pakistan spent $340 million on tea imports.
The announcement did not go down well with Twitter users. Political activist and former spouse of ex-Pakistan Prime Imran Khan, Reham Khan wrote, “First roti, now tea? No joking around when it comes to chai.”
Another user wrote, “Somebody needs to tell Ahsan Iqbal that the consumer pays for the chai they consume. The government doesn’t give it to them for free. There’ll be no compromise on chai.”
Here’s how the rest of the Internet reacted
Iqbal had earlier urged the traders’ community in Pakistan to close markets by 8:30 pm to conserve energy. His reasoning behind this was that this will help the country cut import bill of petroleum products. Finance minister Miftah Ismail said recently that Pakistan’s economic position will be same as Sri Lanka if tough measures are not taken.
(With PTI inputs)
Storm in a tea cup is what cash-strapped Pakistan is going through at the moment, if you ask the country’s Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal. Iqbal was quoted as saying by news agency PTI, “I appeal to the nation to cut down the consumption of tea by 1-2 cups because we import tea on loan.”
The announcement came after reports suggesting that Pakistan consumed tea worth $400 million in FY2021-22 came up. Federal budget for the outgoing fiscal suggested Pakistan imported $60 million worth more tea than the last fiscal year. In FY2020-21, Pakistan spent $340 million on tea imports.
The announcement did not go down well with Twitter users. Political activist and former spouse of ex-Pakistan Prime Imran Khan, Reham Khan wrote, “First roti, now tea? No joking around when it comes to chai.”
Another user wrote, “Somebody needs to tell Ahsan Iqbal that the consumer pays for the chai they consume. The government doesn’t give it to them for free. There’ll be no compromise on chai.”
Here’s how the rest of the Internet reacted
Iqbal had earlier urged the traders’ community in Pakistan to close markets by 8:30 pm to conserve energy. His reasoning behind this was that this will help the country cut import bill of petroleum products. Finance minister Miftah Ismail said recently that Pakistan’s economic position will be same as Sri Lanka if tough measures are not taken.
(With PTI inputs)