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Qatar is ‘interested in leasing Pakistan’s airports,’ according to Pakistan’s Finance Minister Miftah Ismail. He was speaking to a press conference on Friday in Islamabad. Samaa TV quoted Miftah as saying that Qatar would invest in seaports, LNG plants, and solar power facilities. He claimed that they are also interested in trading on the Pakistan Stock Exchange.
According to media accounts, he denied giving up Pakistan International Airlines and the Roosevelt Hotel in New York. These subjects, he claimed, were not discussed. His remarks come a day after Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, finished his first official trip to the Gulf state since taking office in April. The minister announced that the IMF executive board meeting, which will authorise the disbursement of cash, will take place on Monday.
According to him, Pakistan has already met all requirements for the first loan tranche to be disbursed. According to Miftah, the August electricity bills included a Fuel Charges Adjustment (FCA) for the month of May. According to him, it adds Rs 7 to the cost of electricity each unit.
He claimed that after discussing the issue with the IMF, the government agreed not to collect FCA from customers who use less than 200 units of power. He continued, “This will cost us over 21 billion rupees.” A committee has been established, he added, to investigate reductions for consumers using 200 to 300 units. (IANS)
