PAKISTAN was achieved in the name of Islam but … there are no laws in the spirit of Islam which could bring the blackmailer of food items to book and no strict laws to stop food adulteration. ... The government should focus on items lending themselves to illegal profiteering. The fittest punishment for hoarders is life imprisonment, and illegal storage and hoarding should be strictly dealt with. All food items stored for illegal profiteering should be confiscated and provided to the people at market rates. …Profiteers should be eliminated from the market…. The mill-owner politicians should not be allowed to use their offices and party loyalty to exploit the people. Today, it is a people’s government but, alas, during its rule the problems of the people have been on the increase and no relief has been experienced so far. It is true that the government inherited the energy crisis, but the price hike of necessities has nothing to do with [the previous dispensation], therefore, it must … step in to counter any adverse situation. In this respect the statement of Javaid Kayani, chairman of the Sugar Mills Association needs attention … that in the next crushing season the production of sugar will be down by 25 per cent and the market price would be more than Rs65 per kilo. He further said that the government puts the blame for its own mismanagement on the sugar mills.

…The current position is that in spite of the government’s many promises and announcements, prices are continuously shooting up and no relief is in sight for the common people.

…[S]ugar, wheat flour, oil, cereals, vegetables, meat, tea and other items are now out of the reach of the poor. Meanwhile, utility bills have broken the back of the lower middle class. Now it is the immediate duty of the ruling party, its allies and the opposition to collectively think about immediate relief….—(Jan 29)

Selected and translated by STM.