"Our COVID Package As Large As Pak's GDP": India On Imran Khan's Help Offer

New Delhi: During a sharp retort to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's offer to share experience of his government's cash transfer scheme, India on Thursday reminded him that the dimensions of its economic stimulus package to affect the coronavirus pandemic is as large as Pakistan's GDP.
The response by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) came hours after Khan, during a series of tweets, offered to share with India Pakistan's experience of implementing its "successful" cash transfer program following reports of how poor people in India are battling poverty in view of the coronavirus lockdown.

"Pakistan is best known for creating cash transfers to bank accounts outside the country instead of giving to its own people. Clearly, Imran Khan needs a replacement set of advisers and better information," MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during a web media briefing.

"We all realize their debt problem (almost 90 percent of GDP) and the way much they need to be pressed for debt restructuring. It would even be better for them to recollect that India features a stimulus package, which is as large as Pakistan's annual GDP," he said.

Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a Rs 20 lakh crore economic stimulus package for various key sectors to deal with the adverse impact of the pandemic.

In his tweets, Mr. Khan said his government has successfully transferred Rs 120 billion in nine weeks to over 10 million families during a "transparent manner" to affect the fallout of COVID-19 on the poor.

I am able to offer help and share our successful cash transfer program, lauded internationally for its reach and transparency, with India, the Pakistan prime minister added