ISLAMABAD, May 19(ABC): Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced Thursday the federal government has devised an economic plan in a bid to take the country out of the financial turmoil and, “for the first time”, a complete ban has been imposed on luxury or non-essential items.
“This is an emergency situation and Pakistanis will have to make sacrifices under the economic plan. This will have a quick impact on foreign reserves. The ban will have an impact of $6 billion,” the information minister said during a press conference.
Aurangzeb added the government’s focus was to reduce imports and, therefore, it was about to introduce an export-oriented policy, which would benefit the local industry and producers.
The information minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was working “day and night to stabilise the economy” and had decided to ban the imports of all items that were not in the use of common people.
Aurangzeb added the imports covered food items, decoration items, and luxury vehicles, as she noted that the country was facing a “tough economic situation due to the previous government’s policies”.