With an acute economic crunch hitting Pakistan, its citizens are under financial burdens on a daily basis. The prices of commodities such as cooking oil, pulses, flour, sugar, milk, and chicken have skyrocketed and are now at unprecedented levels. An ARY News report said that prices of 25 essential items had increased massively; the inflation rate crossed 23 percent.
Contrary to the tall claims of the government regarding people’s relief, inflation rates continue to soar and have badly hit daily-use items like electricity, vanaspati ghee, cooking oil, pulses, flour, sugar, milk, and chicken meat, with various pulses’ prices going up by PKR 65 per kg, whereas cooking oil prices surged by PKR 30-40 per liter. It has increased the sugar price by PKR 25 to PKR 30 per kilogram, while chicken meat costs PKR 80 to PKR 100 more per kilogram and sells at PKR 600 to PKR 650 per kilogram, ARY News reported.
The runaway inflation is making the necessities beyond the reach of the common man. Ashraf, a Karachi resident, lambasted the government’s response, saying, “Rising prices are controlled by the government, which should support the poor. People are working hard on the roads, yet no one in authority seems to care. Only Allah provides for us, not the government. Their attitude is essentially, ‘If the poor die, let them die’.”
Another inhabitant, Sikandar, a rickshaw puller, lamented the situation in view of soaring inflation: “Inflation affects everybody from top to bottom. What used to cost 20-25 thousand now costs 30-40 thousand. I used to charge 150 rupees per ride as a rickshaw-puller, but now it is 300 because of the surge in gas prices.” The high cost of all the basic needs, such as gas, electricity, water, and food, is eroding the middle-income class.
The government had promised relief on electricity bills, but now the bills are in the range of 3000-4000 rupees,” said another resident, Rehan. “They just ask about our conditions before the elections, and then no one bothers about us. The prices keep rising: petrol prices are surging, the real necessities of life like lentils, rice, flour, sugar, and even water are very expensive. The rulers are enjoying their cool comfort of air-conditioning, but we have to toil on the streets and get no support at all.”
At the receiving end of a scorching summer while earning a living, the working class made their grievances known to the government. It was recalled how before the elections, promises were made and really did not come to be as yet. It seems instead, inflation was getting worse.
