If words carried the magic to solve problems, Pakistan’s challenges would have long been resolved because our ruling elite has never stopped promising heavens to its people. In the entire Muslim Brotherhood, the holy month of Ramadan is supposed to be a time of spiritual reflection, fasting, and giving.
States join in helping their citizens get through the extraordinary routine with reduced working hours on top of concessions and rebates so that they can practice their faith without worries about their daily struggles. That the Western countries are gradually waking up to the realisation that Muslims living under their flag should be accommodated for the sole reason of them being a part of the indivisible social fabric might have held a crucial lesson in governance. However, since Pakistan tends to deliver surprises with reverse trends and bizarre fashioning of “lucrative” business opportunities, this month is synonymous with skyrocketing prices and rampant inflation. 2024 is no different as government initiatives to facilitate the exasperated masses have yet to bear fruit. With retailers shamelessly defying official price lists, very conveniently taken off-display, and bans on exporting onions and bananas doing little to give a helping hand to ordinary households, the feebleness of the writ of the state hangs heavy in the air. Despite repeated warnings and calls for action, retailers seem to have adopted a “my way or the highway” approach; blatantly disregarding the impact of their actions on the average Pakistanis. In Karachi, a general uproar bemoaned that the local bureaucracy hadn’t played its due part in ensuring they received the produce at reduced prices; forcing them to comply with the market forces. Subsidies may have been announced for items like flour and ghee by the federal government, but what purpose can these announcements serve if they do not stand a chance against profit-starved traders that apparently enjoy the support of a complicit lower-level bureaucracy?
This inclination to prioritize profits over the well-being of the people reflects badly on the system as a whole. It is not just a case of isolated incidents but rather a systemic issue that speaks volumes about the lack of accountability and oversight in the retail sector. Ergo, simply issuing warnings would not be enough as those at the helm of the affairs need to immediately address glaring evidence of local bureaucracy being in cahoots with the trader communities that allow retailers to exploit the situation and fill their pockets at the expense of the common man. The lack of transparency and accountability only serves to perpetuate this cycle of greed and corruption, further exacerbating an already dire situation. *