“I turn to people to reduce their tea party one or two cups a day,” Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal told reporters on Tuesday. “Because we also occupy money for tea that they bring,” he said. added like a country battles growing financial grief.
Pakistan fights with small foreign exchange reserves needed for import on items including tea. Country of 221 million one of in the world’s leading tea importers, and according to tweet from Iqbal, he spent nearly $600 million on tea import in 2020.
In May, the country banned the import of all non-essential luxuries, describing the situation as an economic emergency in an attempt to preserve foreign exchange reserves, according to Reuters.
“This is just a joke to revive the weak Pakistani economy by reducing the consumption of tea,” Farman Ulla Yan, 41, a pharmacist in Nowshera. in Northern Pakistan, The Washington Post reported. “Tea intake is part of of culture is here. If we generously feed the guests and do not offer tea, the guest will object.”
Mujib Ur Rahman, 50, a merchant from Peshawar, lamented the instruction, telling The Post that government ministers should cut your costs and put forward more “workable options revive economy”.
“People are having fun of such stupid ideas,” he said. added.
ministercomments also boiled up storm online with a lot of on social media saying never give up drink, while others advised Iqbal to step down. Newspapers were full of headlines denouncing “austery tea”.
One twitter user joked about the arrest for going over extra tea cup limit. “Thoughts and prayers,” said another.
Petition to cancel Ahsan Iqbal instead of tea
– . (@larapreddaaa) June 14, 2022
“Sugar tea and roti are the fuel of working classes. … Please don’t call it luxury.” tweeted one person while others asked for Iqbal promote more agricultural research on national tea cultivation to wean off costly export.
“Pakistani start their day with strong, black tea and conclude it with a lighter, greener version,” Burzin Vagmar, Academician of the Center. for the study of Pakistan at London SOAS University, reported The Washington Post on Thursday. “It is useless to urge the Pakistanis not to give up just What is it national drink, but also their very identity, since tea is great level”.
Wagmar said that there was once a thriving tea industry in Pakistan, which was the source of of pride, but is now forced to spend “precious foreign exchange … to import tea from Kenya and Sri Lanka.”
As in many other countries, inflation is hitting Pakistan. hard, with impending cost-of- life crisis. Fuel subsidies cut in last days shipping Prices up for a lot of who are already struggle with frequent power cutbacks, power outages and rising food prices.
financial a crisis also turns out first main test for newly appointed Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, professional politician and brother of three-term former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was imprisoned in 2018 after conviction of corruption.
Sharif came to power in April, after cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan was ousted following parliamentary elections. vote of No confidence. (Khan blamed American intervention and the dynastic political elite for for his defeat.)
Earlier this month Sharif new government unveiled $47 billion budget (PKR 9.5 trillion) for 2022 to 2023 as Islamabad tries to restart critical financial support package from the International Monetary Fund.
“Tea is so intricately woven into social and historical life of modern South Asia, which calls for cuts in consumption may well remain deaf if not prove useless.” – Arnab Dey, Assistant professor of history at the state university of New York in Binghamton, The Post reported.
He added that, at least since 1854, “undivided South Asia”, including India and Bangladesh, “has been a major exporter of of tea, and in time filled the British imperial treasury and consumer desires.”
Country also in in the middle of a deadly heat wave with record-break extreme heattogether with other nations in South Asia. Temperature in Jacobabad, in center of the country hit scorching 120 degrees fahrenheit in April, cooking one of the hottest places on Earth.
“Tea is such a refreshing drink when you’re hot and a warming drink when you’re cold, so I’m not surprised it’s still so popular. in Pakistan,” British tea sommelier Jane Milton told The Post. “The tragedy is that they have to import all this, and this has such a negative effect on their foreign exchange reserves.
“I think it’s wise government did not ask them ‘give up’ but reduce consumption, that’s what I think people they will most likely want to do it,” she said. added.
Suliman reported from London and Haq Nawaz Khan reported from Peshawar.