A BURGLAR recently broke into one of the houses in my neighbourhood. There were plenty of valuable things in the house, but he chose to steal food and grocery items. This indicates the extent of poverty and inflation in the country.

Pakistan is combating alarming challenges at home and abroad. Lying at the heart of all these challenges is the fragile economy which is making life miserable for the citizens and making the government weak in the eyes of the world.

Inflation in Pakistan is rising at a distressing pace. Over the last three months, the prices of most consumer goods and services reached their highest levels yet. Almost everything people eat, wear and consume has become significantly more expensive in the last month or so.

The government increased the prices of basic commodities, like edibles. The traders and retailers have increased the prices on their own as well, citing the continuous rise in the prices of petroleum products which adds to the transportation cost.

All this is done at a time when people are already confronting several challenges unleashed by the pandemic. The authorities have failed to live up to the expectations and the current economic policies no longer appear to be effective in breaking the shackles of poverty. While the world is gearing up for the post-Covid era and paving the way for prosperity and progress, the bomb of inflation is dropped over the people. Households falling in the low and middle income categories suffer equally.

The youth, better educated and with greater awareness compared to the rest of the social segments, stands disillusioned. The government should stop defending its policies and focus on formulating efficient strategies to take care of the economic crisis.

Aakash Rahpoto
Lahore

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2021