Kristalina for PM

This letter refers to the news story ‘IMF Chief’s advice for Pakistan: The poor, not wealthy should benefit from subsidies’ (February 20, 2023). I would like to thank IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva for raising her voice in support of the poor and downtrodden people of this country and for calling out our pro-rich economic policymaking. The ruling elite have always tended to rely on anti-poor policies to maintain their stranglehold on the nation’s resources and inequality and unjust distribution of resources are scaling new heights.

One would urge the IMF to intervene and review its financial support to the country by conditioning it on the government taxing the rich while lessening the burden on the poor and refraining from offering the bailout tranche otherwise. The opulent lifestyle of the elite and the state functionaries must cease. If the poor cannot have two meals a day, then the affluent cannot be allowed to have luxury cars, the latest mobile phones and other imported trinkets and comforts. As insinuated by the IMF MD, course correction is inescapable if Pakistan is to function.

Arif Majeed

Karachi