WORLD NEWS | Food riots, anarchy in Pakistan

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 21 (ANI): There is no end to the suffering of the people of Pakistan as the Islamic country faces an ongoing economic crisis amid poor governance. High inflation, rising unemployment and growing food shortages have plunged the South Asian nation into a deep crisis.

Recently, a Pakistani journalist rarely got angry on Twitter, cursing his grandfather for choosing Pakistan instead of India when he was partitioned… Witnessing the divergence of the fate of two countries in South Asia, one country, a prosperous democratic country, was hailed as a bright spot In the world, moving towards becoming a global superpower…another response to food riots and a deteriorating economic situation.

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Due to rising inflation, large numbers of poor people across Pakistan cannot afford essential food items and are forced to queue for hours to receive a free sack of flour. There was chaos across the country as residents not only faced disgrace, but their lives were in danger.

On March 31, 11 people, including women and children, were killed in a stampede during the distribution of food aid in the city of Karachi. Construction sites in other Pakistani provinces have killed at least five people and injured many others in recent weeks. Thousands of sacks of flour were also looted from trucks and distribution points.

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The people of Pakistan are distressed by soaring costs, and the devaluation of the Pakistani currency has made matters worse. The government even scrapped subsidies to unlock its latest fiscal support package thanks to a settlement with the IMF. The cost of basic commodities has soared across the country, with the price of flour tripling.

Razia, a resident from Lahore, Pakistan, commented on the dire situation of the people of Pakistan and said: “We have been coming here for the past 4 days, but there has been no progress. They have been delaying us saying to come back in 5 days. Come at 8 am the day before yesterday ( Pick up flour) go home at 3:00 p.m. yesterday came at 12:00 noon and went back at 3:00 p.m. I came back early today and today even after 5:00 p.m.

We have been here for 4 days and have not been able to get a free bag of flour. They asked us to come back in 5 or 6 days. We got a message, but we haven’t got the flour yet.

Another resident from Lahore had a similar view on the protests of the Pakistani people. He said, “Because of high inflation, we are struggling, waiting in line for free flour. The situation has become jobless, what will the working class (blue collar workers) do now? Professionals are getting paid. But daily wage workers will What, has the government considered it? If they are, please reply.”

To take advantage of IMF funding as part of a $6.5 million bailout package agreed in 2019, the Pakistani government has introduced various economic reforms, including higher taxes and higher fuel prices. The IMF also asked Pakistan, which has a population of about 220 million, to provide external financing guarantees before taking the next step to release bailout funds.

The country, which has a poor corruption record in the week ended March 24, has foreign exchange reserves of $4.2 billion, which provide less than a month’s worth of import protection, according to the State Bank of Pakistan.

Sharjil Goplani, president of the All Pakistan Timber Traders Association, said that if you see Pakistani currency, it promises you the equivalent of written figures in gold. When the commercial bank where I deposit my money won’t give me dollars, it’s clearly in default.

Pakistan has a history of political uncertainty, interruptions in macroeconomic policy, extremism, corruption and energy shortages.

These deficiencies create obstacles that prevent Pakistan from becoming an investment-friendly country. Many foreign companies in Pakistan are on the brink of closure.

Pakistan is on the brink of total chaos as it continues to face political conflict and financial collapse. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)