ISLAMABAD - Former Interior Minister and Chairman Institute of Research and Reforms Rehman Malik on Wednesday resented the government’s decision to import sugar from India. 

He announced that he would not use sugar in any form for the next two months in protest and urged all Pakistanis, particularly politicians, to boycott sugar consumption for two months.

In a statement, Rehman Malik said that it was highly worrying and pathetic that being an agricultural country, “we have been forced to import sugar from India to energise our enemy with foreign exchange through our hard-earned foreign exchange.” 

Malik said that Pakistan was borrowing dollars which would be given to India against goods. He questioned why as a nation “we cannot totally stop sugar for two months as a favour to our country. Sugar is not matter of life and death for us all.” 

He said in the greater national interest, sugar should be banned and all politicians should give an undertaking not to use sugar for two months.

He added: “I, in the national interest, will not use sugar in any form as a protest against government decision of its import from India”. 

He appealed to every Pakistani to stop using sugar and its products as a protest against government’s decision. He said that we should resolve to save our foreign exchange to help our economy as national cause.

He said that the import of sugar from India, which was allowed today, actually was being imported in our country through Dubai by making its mark labels changed. 

He said that India threw a water bombshell on us and now our agricultural production proceeds would further decrease by this decision.

He said that he had earlier predicted that the government was planning to import sugar and who to benefit out of it.