Pakistan Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday, 29 May, said that he would sell his clothes to provide the cheapest wheat flour to people if Mahmood Khan, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, did not bring down the price of 10-kg wheat to Rs 400 in the next 24 hours.
This comes at a time when Pakistan faces an acute wheat crisis due to multiple reasons, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, reduction in domestic output of wheat, and climate change.
Speaking at a public meeting in Thakara stadium, PM Sharif said, "I reiterate my words, I would sell my outfits and provide the cheapest wheat flour to people," reported news agency ANI.
'Former PM Imran Khan Has Gifted Country With Highest-Ever Inflation, Unemployment'
Speaking at the event, he also hit out at former prime minister Imran Khan and accused him of pushing the country into a deep economic crisis.
Although Khan promised to provide five million houses and 10 million jobs, he failed to fulfil them and ended up gifting the country the "highest ever inflation and unemployment."
"I solemnly declare in front of you that I would lay down my life but put this country on the path to prosperity and development," the Pakistan PM said, as per Dawn.
He also came down heavily on the former PM for reducing rates of petroleum products when their prices were rising globally. "He (Khan) did this after realizing that he will be ousted following the no confidence motion [sic]," Sharif said.
Speaking about his father and former PM Nawaz Sharif's "love for people and the country," the Pakistan PM further said that he came to meet the people on Sunday despite having a backache.
Maryam Nawaz, the vice president of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), who also spoke at the rally, hailed her father's patriotism and critiqued Imran Khan for carrying out 'Haqiqi Azadi March', which demanded that the government announce a date for fresh polls.
"The financial and other resources of your government are being spent on such a failed march...revolution couldn't be triggered through such safe rides," she said, as per news agency ANI.
(With inputs from ANI, Dawn.)
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