Inflation: Hafeez Sheikh gets back at ministers
01 November, 2012
ISLAMABAD: An interesting situation emerged during the cabinet meeting on Wednesday when the ministers who had criticised the performance of Finance Ministry were left speechless at the retorts of Minister for Finance Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.
According to the sources, three ministers during the briefing on the economic situation of the country expressed serious concern over the exorbitant price hike, saying that inflation had gone beyond control as the masses had got worried over the unbearable dearness and demanded that effective steps should be taken to bring it under control.
The sources said that Abdul Hafeez Shaikh addressed the criticising ministers and asked if it was his decision to give Rs110 billion to Balochistan as against the previous amount of Rs40 billion. He said it was their decision not his to give Rs1,400 billion to the provinces in two years. "You are giving one thousand rupees each to 35 million people on a monthly basis and the decision is yours not mine."
Hafeez Shaikh said that the Federal Finance Ministry could not ask the provinces about the use of money being given by the federal government. He said if the fact could be denied that the chief minister Punjab had more funds than the prime minister. He said as far as the price control was concerned, it was a provincial subject and the federal government could not interfere in this regard.
The sources said that the replies given by Abdul Hafeez Shaikh left the ministers speechless.
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