LAHORE, July 14: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that his government was working to provide relief to the poor of the poor and a meeting of Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet here on Tuesday, followed by the federal cabinet meeting on Wednesday, will discuss this issue.

Gilani told reporters here on Monday that the inflation was a global phenomenon and Pakistan could not escape its effects.

“The rising prices of oil and food commodities have spawn riots in different parts of the world and most countries, including Pakistan, have been badly affected by inflation. In reply to a question about the performance (in the context of offering economic relief to the people) of his government during the first 100 days, he said he had not received the report from the ministries and would speak about it in his address to the nation later this week.

The prime minister said that he did not want to say anything on the role of the previous government for the current wave of price hike.

“Now that we are in government, it is the right of the people to ask us as to whatever we are doing to provide them relief. It is our responsibility to hedge the people against the spiking prices of the essentials. I assure the people that we are working for this,” he said.