World News | Pakistani government forces people to beg for flour, says Jamaat-i-Islami

Islamabad [Pakistan]March 27 (ANI): The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Darband tehsil branch has demanded that flour be supplied to people across the country at subsidized prices, accusing the government of insulting and demeaning the poor, especially women, at flour distribution points.

At a news conference, the JI tehsil emir lamented the “humiliating” women who had to wait in long queues for hours for a 10kg sack of flour.

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Accompanied by other officials, he warned that JI employees would take to the streets if the government continued to “humiliate” the women. He was flanked by other officials.

“The government has shown no sincerity in providing relief to needy families as it has raised the price of a 40kg bag of wheat flour from Rs 5,200 to Rs 6,000,” Gohar said. Instead, he suggested the government should monitor inflation.

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JI tehsil naib emir Ijaz Ahmed criticized the government for “forced” people to beg for wheat at distribution centres. “The government should announce measures like this,” he said, continuing, “which could slash ministerial and bureaucrat allowances and provide food price relief to millions.”

Notably, the Tribune reported on Friday, citing statistics released by UNICEF officials, that more than 42 percent of children in Pakistan are victims of stunting due to heightened food insecurity in the South Asian country. Likewise, 9.4 percent of boys and 9 percent of children and girls were obese. By comparison, 20.5 percent of young boys and 20.7 percent of young girls, respectively, are overweight, according to statistics provided by UNICEF officials.

“12.6 percent of young boys and 12.1 percent of girls had diabetes,” they said.

In a meeting chaired by Chair Romina Khurshid Alam, a parliamentary working group examined the Sustainable Development Goals to achieve zero hunger. Officials briefed the task force on the health of Pakistani children, the Express Tribune reported. Wheat provides additional iron, zinc and vitamins in the country.

Soda, energy drinks and junk food are banned only around educational facilities in Punjab, according to The Express Tribune, they said.

Notably, despite multiple interventions over the decades, malnutrition and food insecurity have emerged as major challenges in Pakistan. According to the Tribune, the economic crisis has exacerbated the suffering. (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)