The Minister of Planning asked the tea drinkers to reduce their consumption because the import costs were depleting the country’s foreign exchange reserves. “I urge the nation to reduce tea consumption by one to two cups because we import tea on credit,” said Ahsan Iqbal. The nation of South Asia with a population of 220 million is the largest importer of tea in the world. Mr Iqbal said vendors in the markets were also asked to close their shops by 20:30 to save energy. He said this would help the country reduce its oil imports account. Pakistan has been facing economic challenges for months, leading to rising food, oil and gas prices. Issues were at the heart of the political confrontation between Imran Khan, who was ousted as prime minister in April, and Shahbaz Sharif, his successor who led the opposition’s efforts to oust Mr Khan. Mr Khan led nationwide protests against the new leadership following his ouster. The country’s foreign exchange reserves also fell sharply, from $ 16.3 billion at the end of February to $ 10 billion in May, according to Reuters. The $ 6 billion lost would be enough to cover two months of imports. Many in Pakistan mocked Mr Iqbal’s appeal on social media, saying that consuming less tea would do little to alleviate the country’s economic crisis.
