Caretaker Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar in her clarification statement said that comments about wondering why she took up a post in the cabinet were ‘misinterpreted’. In the video, Shamshad Akhtar said that she had said that many people asked her why she had taken up the job of finance minister in such challenging times. However, Shamshad Akhtar added that it was an honour to be able to serve Pakistan at such a time. The clarification was issued as a video by Information Minister Murtaza Solangi on X, former Tiwtter. Earlier reports emerged that the minister told the Senate’s Standing Committee on Finance that she sometimes wonders why she took the job. However, reports said that she added that the comments had been made on a lighter note.

She also told the committee that the state of the economy was worse than she expected and that the caretaker government would provide a roadmap soon. Earlier on Wednesday, Caretaker Finance Minister Dr Shamshad Akhtar ruled out room for additional subsidies within the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreements. Talking to journalists in Islamabad, the finance minister conveyed the government’s sensitivity toward the welfare of the country’s poor, saying that they would prevent any exacerbation of hardships faced by the vulnerable.

 Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)