ISLAMABAD: Protesters from various walks of life on Sunday criticised the government for failing to check inflation and price hike, which had made their lives miserable.

Scores of slum dwellers, trade unionists and political workers participated in the demonstration organised by the Awami Workers Party (AWP) at Aabpara Market.

The protesters said they were facing back-breaking inflation, unemployment, inaccessibility to quality education and heath as well as illegal evictions.

Holding banners, red flags and placards, they demanded a break from pro-imperialist and rich economic policies.

It is relevant to note here that the price of flour is now Rs76 per kilogramme while sugar is being sold at Rs150. Similarly, the hike in petroleum prices has also added to miseries of the people.

AWP leaders Aasim Sajjad, Alia Amirali, Iqbal Ustad, Rukhsana Qazi, Ahmed Kohistani, Robin Sahotra, Mir Azam and Razzaq Jatt lambasted the present government for failing to fulfill its promises of establishing the Riyasat-i-Madina and providing 10 million jobs and five million homes to the poor.

Speaking to protesters, Progressive Students Federation leaders Jamil Khan, Fatima Shahzad and Ikramullah Maseed said Pakistan’s predominantly young population would only have a bright future if a genuine progressive alternative displaced the status quo.

Tooba Syed of the Women’s Democratic Front said economic hardship was particularly acute for women who were paid even less than men and bore the brunt of suffering when homes were bulldozed and livelihoods squeezed. They are also victims of patriarchal violence inside working class households, she added.

The rally concluded with the announcement of a list of demands centred around a radical programme of social and economic redistribution – of land, other natural resources, and in the interests of labour vis a vis multinational capital – to offer the working masses, especially youth, a meaningful alternative to the status quo.

AWP leaders demanded restoration of trade and student unions across the country besides housing for all by regularising existing katchi abadis.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2021