ISLAMABAD – Finance Minister Miftah Ismail again hinted that the governmentcould consider importing food items from India as devastating flooddestroyed standing crops across the country.

With millions of acres of farmland still under water and certain roadsinaccessible, Pakistan’s Finance chief said many international agencieshave approached the government to allow them to bring food items from Indiathrough the land border.

In a tweet, the senior PML-N leader said the government will make a formalannouncement to allow imports or not based on the supply shortage position,however, he mentioned that any decision would be made after consultationwith ruling partners and other key stakeholders.

Miftah hinted toward food import from India for the second time in recentdays as the monstrous monsoon has destroyed crops on millions of acres andthe cash-strapped country is now faced with a food security crisis.

Earlier this week, the federal government confirmed importing onions andtomatoes from Iran and Afghanistan to meet the local demand.

Islamabad downgraded its trade relations with India back in 2019 as NewDelhi revoked Article 370 which granted a special status to Indian-occupiedKashmir.