Sir: While the country has been celebrating the establishment of a ‘naya Pakistan’ it seems that our old problems are far from being over. Just today,the National Electric Power Regulatory (NEPRA) has announced an increase in petrol prices by fifty paisas per litre. While this spike may seem negligible to most people, for the person earning only a minimum wage, this will amount to another rising cost in his miserly budget. In a city such as Karachi, where unemployment is high and public transportation an unreliable option to many, what will the poor man do? I want to be optimistic and believe that we are on the brink of a new Pakistani order — however when such steps are taken by the national government, it is very difficult to stay hopeful. Our trust in such authorities is diminishing and I wonder if they work for our benefit at all? It is very demoralizing to hear such news, in such a positive environment. I hope that Prime Minister Imran Khan will take note of this immediately, and add this increase in prices as a problem to tackle in his hundred day agenda, otherwise all his promises of improving Pakistan for the poor man will have been nothing but a pipe dream. KAMIL HASSAAN Lahore Cantt Published in Daily Times, July 29th 2018.