"The complete lack of logic amazed me! I mean really!"
"Agreed...for Hafeez Sheikh to criticise his critics for being illogical by on the one hand accusing him of not disclosing details of the International Monetary Fund staff level agreement while on the other accusing him of agreeing to the harshest bailout package ever. All I want to say in response is that the two prior conditions that the country has already been subjected to - market based exchange rate and a rise in discount rate - as well as the information in the IMF press release with respect to the primary deficit of 0.6 percent next fiscal year (from the current 1.9 percent) is enough to conclude that this is the harshest ever bailout package."
"Right, though precisely how harsh in the first year, the second and the third year, would be revealed after the IMF uploads the agreement on its website." "Yes, but what amazed me is not lack of basic logic but lack of economic logic. I mean Asad Umar was no economist/technocrat so if he had said inflation will decline because those using 300 units of electricity or less will pay the same rates as before I would have tried to explain that this was not logical from an economic perspective. Throw in 180 billion rupees for the Ehsaas programme and it would still not be enough to arrest the expected rise in inflation that would, in turn, raise overall poverty levels."
"Besides, who uses only 300 units per month? You use one light, one fan, and iron your and your family's clothes every day and usage is more than 300 units." "I know Sheikh meant the money released under the Ehsaas programme would help clear the increase in the electricity bills!"
"Don't be facetious."
"And if you don't pay then your connection will be cut off so you can actually save that amount and use it for food."
"This is serious please don't be facetious."
"Good heavens why are you worried inflation will rise. Sheikh sahib will wave his magic wand and reduce the weightage of food in Consumer Price Index calculation - he reduced it by 6 percent last he was the finance minister so he can reduce it further by 6 percent..."
"Please be serious. Anyway I was amazed by his lack of sensitivity, he showed no empathy with the poor people, and he laughed throughout the press conference and when he directed others to respond he kept his mike on and spoke so loudly to his colleagues that it was difficult to hear..."
"Moral of the story: The Khan must get his own people to defend his government's policies not someone who will leave the country as soon as he no longer has the finance portfolio."