Pakistan minister stirs controversy with ‘drink less tea, save money’ plea

A minister in Pakistan's newly elected government has faced criticism following his plea to the nation to drink less tea to help save on imports.

“I appeal to the people to reduce their tea drinking by one or two cups a day because we also borrow money for the tea, which is imported,” Ahsan Iqbal said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Some have openly advised Iqbal on social media to resign.

“Yesterday Ahsan Iqbal asked us to consume less tea and tomorrow they may say eat less. Is it a solution?” asked Dil Sher, who owns a roadside tea stall on the outskirts of Islamabad.

"Why should we reduce the use of tea... we drink at our own expense, we don't drink with government money," said Jan Muhammad, 45, a truck driver who says he drinks between 15 to 20 cups a day.

"When you drive and you can't see the road... then there is a risk of an accident. That's why 20 cups are compulsory," he said. 

One of the world's top tea importers

At a tea stall in Islamabad's Aabpara market, baker Muhammad Ibrahim said he drank 12 cups every day.

"I take three, four cups in the morning, then three in the afternoon and three, four late night," he said. "This is my addiction."

The university professor noted tea was routinely served at almost every meeting — especially those held by government officials.

"How will we reduce the use of tea when tea is the main drink in all the official meetings?" he asked.

"Chai" usually sells for around 20 cents (45 Pakistani rupees) a cup at stalls across the country.

Pakistan is among the world's top tea importers, a hugely popular drink among both the rich and the poor in the country of 220 million people. 

The government spends about $600 million from the central bank's hard currency reserves for tea imports annually.

READ MORE: Pakistan defers plans to resume imports from India