COALITION GOVERNMENT: A coalition government has both negative and positive aspects, but in Pakistan it has a solely negative connotation. With another coalition government in place, the people of Pakistan would do well not to nurture high hopes. Cabinet meetings will likely spend more time and energy settling issues within than on finding solution to the long list of challenges facing the country. There is hardly any point in being unnecessarily optimistic.

Dawar Shoaib
Karachi

SUSTAINABLE MEASURES: The province of Punjab recently imposed a short-term ban on the export of banana and onion in order to ensure price stability during Ramazan. It is an admirable step taken by the authorities in the context of domestic markets, but the export market will feel the impact negatively. As happens every year, merchants and retailers create artificial shortage of items in order to maximise commissions and earnings during the holy month. While targeting a temporary relief, policymakers must weigh the potential consequences and consider alternative strategies to address the root causes of price fluctuations. They must come up with plans for sustainable price stability instead of looking for short-term, temporary relief.

Iman Hafeez
Chakwal

FRUIT MAFIA IN ACTION: As happens every year, the fruit mafia is taking advantage of the holy month of Ramazan. Following its ritual, the mafia has begun to engage in exploitative practices by increasing the prices of essential fruits. This price hike creates an unnecessary burden on the people who are already struggling to meet their financial needs. Last year, the public’s resilient stance against such unjust practices had led to the intervention of authorities, whose actions did lead to relief even if it was temporary. The authorities concerned should take strict measures as these exploitative practices are unfair and putsat risk the happiness and health of the masses.

Farheen Arshad
Karachi

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2024