Inflation Crushes Pakistan's Poor as Prices Soar Out of Control
The country's low-income population continues to bear the brunt of unbridled inflation, as the federal budget has failed to provide any meaningful relief to the common man. Every passing week brings fresh price hikes, making survival increasingly difficult for those already living on the edge.
Maqsood Ali, a rickshaw driver, expressed his anguish at the worsening situation, accusing the rulers of being detached from ground realities.
He lamented that inflation has gone completely out of control, with the government imposing unbearable burdens on the poor.
He pointed to the staggering 530-rupee-per-kilogram price of LPG gas, which has made even basic cooking a luxury.
He added that with customers already squeezed by the economic crisis, rickshaw earnings have plummeted, making it nearly impossible to run his household.
He said that managing a family on 100 or 150 rupees a day had become an almost impossible challenge.
Mukhtar Ahmed, a fruit hawker, painted an equally grim picture of his daily struggle.
He complained that electricity bills have ballooned to 9,000 or even 10,000 rupees, while the actual supply remains erratic.
He described a situation where power is available for only four hours, then disappears for six hours, only to return briefly before vanishing again.
He said that the poor are being burned from both ends — struggling under the scorching sun during the day and finding no relief even at home due to the absence of electricity.
He lamented that there is no peace or comfort for the common man, as basic necessities have become unaffordable luxuries.
Both citizens echoed a common sentiment: the government has turned a blind eye to the suffering of ordinary people, and the budget has offered no solutions to the daily struggle for survival. Until concrete measures are taken to control prices and ease utility burdens, the poor of Pakistan continue to bear the heaviest cost of the economic crisis.