Finance Adviser, Hafeez Shaikh Claims Tomatoes Are Rs. 17/Kg & People Want To Know, “KAHAN?”

Pakistani economy has certainly had a bad year. The steep rise in inflation coupled with rising joblessness have all placed the average citizen under quite a strain.

However, there’s at least one person in Pakistan who seems to be blissfully oblivious to the financial crunch that most households are struggling against.

In a video that is doing rounds on Twitter, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh told the media that tomatoes were being sold in Karachi at Rs. 17/kg.

When a reporter asked Dr. Shaikh from where could he buy tomatoes at Rs. 17/kg, the Finance Adviser asked him to “…Go and check” for himself and then walked away smiling.

You should worry when ⁦@a_hafeezshaikh⁩ tells u that #Pak economy is stabilizing!! pic.twitter.com/DjkdHvnpdw

— Ismail Khan (@IKPeshawar) November 11, 2019

Read: Budget Debate: Here’s A Quick Summary Of The Fiery Speeches By Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari & Asad Umar In The Parliament House

Understandably, it wasn’t just the reporters but basically EVERYONE who wanted to know the location of the mystery tomatoes from Dr. Hafeez Shaikh.

This guy was quick to post a copy of his bill and the tomatoes he bought were certainly not being sold at Rs. 17/Kg.

سر کراچی میں ٹماٹر کی اج کی قیمت pic.twitter.com/nG6Gg8SaNE

— Fazal Aziz Bunairee (@FazalAziz) November 11, 2019

This gentleman from Peshawar was disappointed after he checked the price of tomatoes near him…

I just checked after the claim of @a_hafeezshaikh. Its 140 per kg at Peshawar’s. Don’t know from where we can buy at 17 Rs.

— Arshad Aziz Malik (@arshadazizmalik) November 11, 2019

Some netizens started casting doubt on Dr. Hafeez Shaikh’s mental prowess – ooopppsss…

Yaai tuuuu hosh main he na lag ray 🍻🥂 saray masssat #Imrankhan ko he mallay hain..😁😏

— bab (@Babar_17) November 11, 2019

بہت اچھا اور بہت ہی بیبا بندا ہے بس اسے جو کہا جاتا ہے یہ وہی بولتا ہے

— Qazi Arif Mehmood (@Qaziyan) November 11, 2019

Now, we absolutely have no doubt on Dr. Shaikh’s credibility as an economist. However, we are extremely curious to know what made a man so learned make a statement so ill-informed?

Have anything to say? Share your views in the comments below.