Record inflation makes lives of common man miserable

Islamabad : In three years 8 months and 22 days, former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government increased the prices of kitchen items to alarming proportions making the lives of the common man miserable.

The prices of ghee/cooking oil were increased by over 200 per cent from Rs150 per kilogram/litre to Rs470 per kilogram/litre, sugar by 83 per cent from Rs54 to Rs100, 20-kilogram flour bag by over 40 per cent from Rs730 to Rs1070 (ex-mill price), rice by over 90 per cent from Rs130 to Rs230 per kilogram and electricity increased by over 140 per cent from Rs11 to Rs28 per unit.

The former government spent its time taking revenge rather than resolving the public-related issues in the country, people belonging to different walks of life said while talking to ‘The News’ here on Sunday.

“Former government has literally broken the back of a common man through its wrong policies because it not only crushed public through record inflation but poor governance as well,” Muhammad Asghar, a senior citizen said. Inflation has broken the 70-year-old record in the last three years, he strongly denounced.

According to the spokesman of District Food Controller (DFC) Muhammad Ali in the PMLN government’s time in 2018, the ex-mill price of a 20-kilogram ‘atta’ bag was 730 but now the ex-mill price is Rs1070.

All Pakistan Ghee/Cooking Oil Manufacturer Association (President) Muhammad Abid said that ghee/cooking oil prices increased too much in three and half years. Ghee/cooking oil was easily available at rates from Rs150 to Rs170 per kilogram in 2018 but now the commodity is selling at Rs470, he claimed.

In three years 8 months and 22 days, PTI government officially increased the prices of beef by 44 per cent from Rs450 to Rs650 per kilogram, mutton by over 45 per cent from Rs800 to Rs1250, chicken by over 190 per cent from Rs150 to Rs430, tea by over 70 per cent from Rs690 to Rs1100 (900-gram) whereas prices of and all kinds of medicines also witness a rise by over 200 per cent.

According to Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), the PTI government has increased gas prices by over 150 per cent in three years.

In over three years’ time prices of all branded and non-branded items increased by over 40 to 100 per cent. The PTI government had also ended all kinds of subsidies on all items from government-run utility stores. Prices of pulses also increased by 70 to 100 per cent in three years.

A ‘roti’ price increased by over 80 per cent from Rs7 to Rs12 and a ‘naan’ by over 60 per cent from Rs10 to Rs15 in three years.

All Pakistan Traders Association (Punjab) President Sharjeel Mir strongly condemned the former government and said that PTI has broken the back of people in the country.

“The US dollar was continuously increasing against the Pakistani rupee but PTI government was taking all issues non-seriously,” Shazia Naveed, an economist said. Ever-increasing inflation, bad governance, POL prices, dollar prices, and Constitution violation are the major reasons to flop Imran’s government in the country, she said.

“We cannot run our kitchen and people are continuously committing suicides but the former government was taking all issues non-seriously,” Dr. Uzma Irfan said. People are fed-up with inflation and want to end their lives because of skyrocketing prices, she said.

Muhammad Saeed a common man said that before coming into power, Khan had vowed to root out corruption and lift people out of poverty as he promised a new and prosperous Pakistan with the creation of 10 million jobs and 5,000,000 homes. But, he badly failed to fulfill even his one promise in his time, he strongly protested.

The residents of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have appealed to former Prime Minister Imran Khan not to misguide the innocent public more to continue his Prime Ministership in the country. People want peace rather than bloodshed, people appealed.