Imran Khan Bans First Class Travel to Checks Pakistan’s Economic Crisis?

Pakistan is on the verge of an economic crisis given its massive current account deficit. The new Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan on Saturday took a step to challenge the VVIP racism in the country and banned first-class air travel by the President, Prime Minister and other officials of the Pakistan government.

But the question is that are such small measures good enough to prevent Pakistan’s economy from collapsing? Imran Khan was voted into power as being a face of change and he has taken up some strong measures to cut the costs of running the government which deserve appreciation. But will all of this augment to be enough?

The new cabinet of Pakistan has banned discretionary uses of the state funds to alter expenses. The Prime Minister also announced that he will not use a special plane for his foreign visits or for travelling through the nation.

Before this, he moved into a modest three-room apartment with two servants as a part of cost-cutting strategies of the new government. He also decided to avoid an elaborative protocol and decided to keep only two vehicles against the precedent set by the former Prime Ministers.

Pakistan is facing a severe balance of payments problems. Imran Khan in his run to elections promised to take stringent measures to uproot political corruption and take austerity measures to bring the nation’s economy back on track. Pakistan has its eyes on a USD 12 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund to solve its balance of payments problems.

Besides improving the nation’s economy, Imran Khan has also vowed to maintain strong relations with all neighbours. Pakistan has shown intent to resolve issues with India and has offered constructive dialogue with India.

The cabinet also discussed the possibilities of a six-day working schedule in a week but resorted to the five-day schedule after some resentment. One of the major challenges for the new cabinet is to revive Pakistan’s economy. All the measures need to be taken with an immediate effect.

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