Spokesperson to finance minister Muzzammil Aslam said on Tuesday the prices for local food and beverages are constantly reducing yet people are still calling out rising inflation. The government official supported his claim with a screenshot of a message from mega retail store Carrefour, promoting discounted rates of noodles and carrots, as evidence.

“It’s an open contradiction,” he said.

His tweet has garnered a variety of reactions from Pakistanis. Many were angry at Aslam for “mocking” the crisis faced by people.

Some people came up with sarcastic replies, and shared special discounts by other companies that can be used as “evidence” that there’s “no inflation.”

Others challenged him to experience the ground reality so he might understand how the middle class survives in this economy.

A few days ago, Aslam had appeared on Spot Light with Munizae Jahangir on Aaj News, where he debated the government’s efforts to curb inflation with business journalist Khurram Hussain.

Hussain had shared a clip from the interview in which he said, “You cannot spin inflation, go ahead and try!”

Later reacting to Aslam’s tweet about inflation, Hussain said, “Looks like he took up the challenge….”

This is not the first time the finance spokesperson has said something “outrageous” about inflation. In 2021, he tried to deny rise in inflation by quoting an example of the “middle class eating McDonald’s.”

A few days after this tweet, he got the job as spokesperson to the finance minister.

Such tweets by the government official forced social media users to question his appointment as spokesperson to finance minister.