‘Pakistan’s current situation most difficult in last two decades’

The current situation in Pakistan is the most difficult faced by the country in the last two decades, the South Asia Press reported, adding that the country, facing an economic crisis, political chaos, and rising number of terror attacks along the northwestern areas, has been drained of its resources. Further, according to the report, the country’s economic deterioration has a direct impact on the public. The floods in Pakistan came as a severe blow to the cash-strapped nation already grappling with high debt, the South Asia Press reported, adding that the country’s planning commission, agriculture, food, livestock, and fisheries sectors lost USD 3.7 billion in the floods with long-term losses estimated to be around USD 9.24 billion. In December, 2022, inflation in the country stood at 24.5 per cent, almost double of 12.3 per cent from the previous year, the report said, adding that the common people were the most affected by the high flour prices amid the country’s worst-ever food crisis. Many areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan provinces have even witnessed stampedes for grain and flour. Analysts fear the crisis will soon take petroleum products and basic essential items under its fold.