Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has warned that protests, sit-ins, strikes and disruptions to business activities could cause losses of up to Rs120 billion per day to Pakistan's economy.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Aurangzeb said daily export volumes could decline by up to 50% because of strikes, potentially slowing economic activity and the country's growth momentum.
The finance minister said economic stability had been achieved through difficult decisions and that maintaining the country's economic progress was a shared responsibility. He urged stakeholders to resolve their differences through dialogue, saying the economic impact of protests would ultimately affect ordinary citizens.
Aurangzeb also said Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves had reached a high of $21.4 billion, while efforts were underway to reduce expenditures. He added that the country was recording a current account surplus and was moving from economic stabilisation towards economic growth.
