PM Imran Khan summons meeting to discuss rising inflation today

• PM Imran Khan decides to take urgent steps to control inflation.
• PM to seek briefing on inflation from ministers. 
• Important decisions expected to be taken during the meeting.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan summoned a meeting Thursday to tackle the rising inflation across the country. The meeting will take at the PM House, sources told Geo News.

Officials will brief the prime minister on the current prices of edible items and take decisions on how to taken to curb the surging inflation.

Federal ministers, advisers and special assistants will attend the meeting. Provincial chief secretaries have also been directed to attend and inform the prime minister about the steps taken in this regard.

Sources said important decisions are expected to be taken to ensure inflation is controlled, which has hit Pakistanis hard.

IMF blamed for inflation

On Wednesday, Federal Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin blamed the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) programme for the rising inflation in the country. However, the minister assured people that the government will provide direct subsidies on food items to the poor. 

Addressing a press conference with Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib and Special Assistant on Food Security Jamshed Iqbal Cheema in Islamabad, Tarin had said: 

"Around 50% difference was recorded in the price of ghee globally, while we [Pakistan] kept the difference around 30%. The price of wheat recorded an increase of 13.5%."

The finance minister had highlighted that petrol is available at Rs123 per litre in Pakistan, and on the contrary, it is available at Rs250 per litre in India.

"We [government] will give subsidy on ghee, bearing the burden of additional prices on imported ghee," he had said, adding that the government will give direct subsidy on food items to the poor people.

The finance minister had further disclosed that the cash subsidy will be given to 40 million people.