Daily Times

The Opposition and the government are pursuing a policy of blaming, while the people are being pushed into the mill of inflation and unemployment. According to the figures presented in the National Assembly, 55 million people in the country are barely earning a living. Pakistan has become the fifth largest country in the world with a population of over 220 million. The agenda of eradicating poverty and backwardness from the country has been part of the manifesto of every party that has come to power in different eras and some have taken practical steps but due to poor planning, disorder and corruption, their fruits could not reach the common man which is why backward classes are still frustrated. The steady rise in prices of essential commodities like flour, sugar, electricity, gas, water, petrol, diesel, kerosene has made life difficult for the people, while wages are not being raised in proportion to inflation. There are reports of an increase rather than a decrease in unemployment.

The government aimed to provide cheap food items to people at the utility stores, but there are also many other items being sold rare or expensive, including ghee, cooking oil, red pepper, soap, pulses, sugar. In such a situation, the government will have to tighten monitoring arrangements in every sector by activating the administration, so that the condition of the common man will improve according to the vision of the Prime Minister and new Pakistan will come into existence, which is the dream of Imran Khan.

There is no doubt that the scourge of rampant inflation bent the backs of the poor due to the poor strategy of the previous governments, but what good has the present government done for the welfare of the poor? The fingers are being pointed at the government because all the records of inflation have been broken in the government of the big claimants to reduce inflation from the country. With the rise in prices of basic necessities of life, electricity, gas, and petroleum products for the poor, the government has also left the dragon of unrestrained taxes on the salaried class. On the one hand, the Economic Coordination Committee has increased the monthly rent of gas meters from Rs. 20 to Rs. 40 and the per unit increase in power tariff is minimum 32 paisa for up to 200 units monthly consumers has also been approved. On the other hand, the government has announced a reduction of 2.40 rupees per liter in the price of high-speed diesel. By not providing any relief in petrol, kerosene, and light diesel, several inflation bombs have been dropped on consumers in a single day. Government economists are concerned about the satisfaction of the international financial institutions, but they are not concerned about the rising cost of living for the poor, who earn a few thousand a month and live in rented houses. How will they be able to bear the burden of this unbridled inflation?

A closer look at the plight of the Pakistani people reveals that in every era of power, the people have never been the priority of the rulers; the people have been used to gain power in the past and may still be used today. Both the opposition and the government are throwing rubble at each other and demanding sacrifices from the people, but the people themselves are not ready to give any relief. The people are forced to commit suicide due to inflation and unemployment, while the opposition is working on a strategy to bring the people to the streets in order to achieve power. In a situation where inflation has made the lives of the poor miserable, the poor decisions of the government cannot be appreciated in any way, especially from Corona. The resulting economic and business conditions have added fuel to the fire for daily wage laborers. Lack of relief in petrol prices has created more problems for the common man, so the increase in gas meter fares and LPG prices should be withdrawn, so as to reduce the burden of inflation on the common man.

The PTI’s agenda included strict accountability and the elimination of corruption as well as the control of inflation. During the elections, people were being reassured that there was no shortage of resources in Pakistan and the money collected from corrupt elements will be spent on the welfare of people. There were also rumors of the presence of corrupt political leadership Swiss accounts worth Rs. 200 billion dollars. These 200 billion dollars was promised to be used to pay off all debts and spend the rest on development and prosperity projects. Those who believe in the destiny of the common man are now disappointed after the PTI government. The people did not raise their voice for two years saying that according to the government it had got a devastated economy, but now there is a wave of frustration and concern among the people and the situation is heading towards public outrage, as the government is in a state of crisis. If the economy is really strong and the economic crisis is over, why aren’t its positive fruits reaching the people?

The PTI government does not benefit the people by repeating the mistakes of the past, these facts have been proved, even if they are not repeated; there is no difference in the truth behind them. If the government really wants to bring about change, it has to do something in practice to decrease problems. No major change has taken place in the last two years of the government, the vision of development of the poor and backward classes does not seem to be working, and there are no comprehensive changes in the fields of education and health which have been pointed out. In this situation, the poor decisions that the government is making cannot be appreciated. The present rulers must point out the mistakes of the past, but just pointing out the mistakes of the past will not solve the problems of the people, it is necessary to set a proud example, otherwise, like others, their successors will repeat the same mistakes in power.