ISLAMABAD, June 11: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Sunday claimed that measures taken to control prices of commodities of daily use were bearing fruit and prices of pulses and sugar have registered a downward trend.
He hoped that the situation would drastically change when the newly-appointed price-magistrates begin work.
Talking to newsmen at the Prime Minister’s House prior a surprise visit to Sunday bazaar and utility store at G/9 markaz, Mr Aziz said the next year’s fiscal budget had received a good public response because it had provided incentives to the common man, while taxing the rich and sparing the poor.
He lambasted the opposition for failing to point out any fault with the budget during the budget debate or offer any concrete proposal and remained confined to criticising it for the sake of criticism. He, however, accepted the right of opposition to speak and criticise government’s budgetary policies as they wish.
Later, Mr Aziz, PML secretary-general Mushahid Hussain, minister of state for finance Omar Ayub, special assistant to prime minister Khalilur Rahman, Munawar Mughal of the FPCCI visit the Sunday bazaar. A team of reporters also followed prime minister’s motorcade.
The prime minister said that sugar prices had decreased considerably and the price of cement had fallen by Rs100 per bag owing to the government’s measures of allowing the TCP to import sugar and private sector to import cement.
At the Sunday bazaar, sugar was being sold at Rs38 per kg and pulses, especially Mash, was sold for Rs60 per kg.
