KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — A senior minister in Pakistan created an uproar when he urged people to drink less tea to save the country from its deepening economic crisis.
Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal appealed to the public to cut down on their consumption of tea as a way to preserve foreign currency that pays to import the tea leaves, The Guardian reported.
“I would also appeal to the nation to cut down one or two cups of tea because the tea we import is also imported on credit,” Iqbal said at a press event on Tuesday.
Iqbal’s comments prompted outrage Wednesday on social media with one user commenting on the minister’s “imported tie, suit and shades.”
“Have you thought about that?” he asked.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ex-wife Reham Khan also commented: “First we halve a roti, and now we must drink less tea too? Don’t mess around when it comes to tea, sir!”
According to the BBC, the Pakistani government spent nearly £500 million (RM 2,674,302,855) on importing tea leaves last year.
Pakistan is battling severely low foreign currency reserves, “currently enough for fewer than two months of all imports.”
The reserves continue to fall rapidly, pressuring the government to cut import costs and free funds for the country.
Pakistan is the world’s biggest importer of tea and on average, a Pakistani is said to drink at least three cups of tea every day.
