ISLAMABAD: Members of the federal cabinet don’t usually miss any opportunity they get to remind the people that they are working tirelessly to address the common man’s problems. But on Wednesday, the Senate witnessed a display of ignorance that put their tall claims to the test.

“I have no idea what the price of wheat flour is today,” proclaimed State Minister for Interior Balighur Rehman. He was responding to a supplementary question posed by former finance minister Saleem Mandviwalla – on behalf of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

Deputy Chairman Sabir Baloch of the Pakistan People’s Party did not give up, though.

He passed on the question to the floor, as at least five other cabinet members were present in the house. However, none of these champions of the common man’s misery volunteered any information.

Apart from Balighur Rehman, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Information Minister Pervez Rasheed, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, Science and Technology Minister Zahid Hamid and Ports and Shipping Minister Kamran Michael were present in the house at the time.

Following this embarrassment for the treasury benches, Mandviwalla told the house that the price of wheat flour ranged between Rs56/kg and Rs58/kg at different outlets.

At this, the deputy chairman snidely observed that when they were in opposition, treasury members could quote food prices verbatim.

But now that they were in government, he said, they were not even aware of the prices of essential food items.